Strawberry Wine
by TheLittle MissVixen
Summary: It's funny how those memories they last...Is the first love really the deepest? A decade after her departure Elena Gilbert returns to Mystic Falls to relieve the best years of her life. They say there's nothing like first love and Damon Salvatore is certainly not an easy man to forget.
1. My first taste in love

**So, I know I said I was leaving the world of FanFiction, I really wasn't planning on comming back but then I was listening to a song and this idea came to my mind, I knew I had to write it and since I'm in a serious need of Delena I decided to do it. I want to thank Lorena for being the beta for this and for being so damn amazing! And if you decide to read this and give it a shot I would be so grateful.**

 **Please, let me know what you think,**

 **Love, Sam.**

* * *

 **STRAWBERRY WINE**

 **.**

 _Strawberry wine and seventeen_

 _The hot July moon saw everything_

 _My first taste of love, oh bittersweet_

 _The green on the vine_

 _Like strawberry wine_

 _ **-Deana Carter-**_

 _ **.**_

Elena absently tapped her hand against the steering wheel; the air conditioning of the rental car was not strong enough for such a hot morning, she could already feel her silk blouse dampening and clinging to her sweaty body. Why did Jeremy insist on a wedding in June? She really had no idea. And why did he demand for a wedding here of all places? For all she knew he had never returned either and Anna was from Seattle, so why did he choose this place? Damn him, she cursed. She couldn't believe she was this nervous, she had spent the entire flight on edge, ten years, it had been ten years since she last set foot in this little town. She could still remember that hot morning in July, so filled with sadness and nostalgia…the morning she said goodbye to the town that had watched her grow, to her friends…the day she said goodbye to him. On that sad morning of July she had had every intention of returning but then… then there was nothing to come back to anymore.

She moved her long straight hair over one of her shoulders so her neck could breathe a little bit, her body was so damp with perspiration, how she craved a shower! Summers in Mystic Falls were something else entirely, she wasn't used to it anymore. She let out a huff and turned on the radio, there were still a good thirty minutes to go and she had no intentions of spending that time alone with her thoughts. But when she turned up the volume and recognized the song playing she realized what a bad idea that had been… _to her I'm prince charming but to him I'm just some fella riding in and stealing Cinderella…_ that was the first song they danced to together, the song coming out from a jukebox in his momma's bar, she had been fifteen and ridiculously happy. It had been their song ever since. Once she left Mystic Falls she never listened to it ever again…until now.

She cursed Jeremy once again, why did he have to get married? And in Mystic Falls of all places, it wasn't enough that he was getting married before her but he also had to drag her to this godforsaken town to relieve all the ghosts from her past.

She had been perfectly fine with her life in San Francisco, her big job and friends, and parties and boyfriend. Oh wait, she didn't have a boyfriend anymore. Her blood boiled with just the memory of her ex, master of the universe, Elijah, hadn't been happy when she said she yet didn't feel ready for marriage so he dumped her and found another girl to serve him as his trophy wife. She still couldn't believe she wasted an entire year on that idiot. But even without her ex-boyfriend her life in San Francisco was great, she didn't need to come here and open old wounds… she was happy, right?

"Fuck" She cursed loudly and gripped the steering wheel. She was not happy, not all. She couldn't understand it. She was one of the most talented event planners in San Francisco, at twenty-eight years old she was already part of one of the most important firms, she had money, friends, a brother she loved, parents who she didn't fight with all the time anymore, her life was a good one, why couldn't that be enough?... and they would know, people from Mystic Falls were going to be able to see through her and would realize how sad she really was. And she couldn't stand the idea of being a failure again.

Elena felt her chest tightening and her eyes were stinging with unshed tears, she took a deep breath and abruptly spun the wheel in another direction, she pulled over on the side of the road and closed her eyes. _From the bottom of my broken heart_ started to sound on the radio and she couldn't control the tears anymore "Are you fucking kidding me!" She screamed inside the car. Even the godman radio was against her today. She cried, let out real awful cries for what felt like hours, until her nose was stuffed and her eyes were puffy and red. "I can't do this" She said to herself. Why was this affecting her so much? It had been ten years; she should be over it already.

She vividly remembered the day she realized it was over, no more letters or emails, no more late night calls or text messages. He was letting her go and nothing had ever hurt as much as that realization. She took a couple of deep breaths and cleaned her eyes and nose with a few tissues "It's going to be okay, you can do this Elena" She looked at her reflection in the mirror and put on her brave face "You're twenty eight years old for crying out loud, grow up" She turned off the radio and with that re-started the engine and drove towards her little small town.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not coming until tomorrow?!" Elena shouted into the phone "Jeremy, I dragged my ass to this town to plan your wedding in two weeks, you have no idea how hard that's going to be and you're not even arriving the day you told me you were!"

"Calm down, sis, it's not a big deal. The flight got canceled and we won't be able to take another until early tomorrow but we'll be there at noon, I promise" Her brother said softly on the other side of the phone, as if he was talking to a lion and needed to remain calm.

Elena huffed and then put the phone aside before submerging herself onto the small tub she was in, she was so grateful for the only five star hotel she could find in Mystic Falls. There was nothing better than a bath when she was in a bad mood. When she reemerged she could hear Jeremy's voice from the phone.

"Elena? Elena, damn it, are you listening?!"

"What?" She answered, taking the phone and putting it in speaker.

"What's wrong with you?" He said in a concerned tone. Great, now he chooses to be concerned. He should have thought about her before deciding to get married in Mystic Falls.

"Nothing"

"Have you seen… anybody" He asked slowly

"No, Jeremy. This isn't exactly a social visit you know" She said, rolling her eyes at the wall in front of her

"Okay, okay, calm down." He said "But you know it won't hurt to visit some old friends" Elena knew from the tone in her brother's voice that he was referring to **him.** "It would be a good opportunity to patch things up"

"Jeremy I really don't want to talk about it, please" She almost pleaded. Jeremy had been very young when they moved, but he was always very smart and she knew he realized how hard it had been for her to leave Mystic Falls. "Just let me be"

"Okay then" He let out a breath "Did you receive Ana's email?"

"Yeah, I'll just take a nap for a little bit and then I'll go check out the place, don't worry." She said while rubbing her temple with her hands.

"Thanks sis, you're the best" Jeremy said "It means a lot to me, Elena that you agreed to do this just for my wedding. I know how hard it is for you" Right at this moment she didn't want to think about how hard it was for her "See you tomorrow" He said when he realized he wasn't getting an answer and with that he hung up.

"Fuck you, Jeremy" Elena muttered before submerging herself in the tub again.

The town was exactly like she remembered, she didn't know what she was expecting but it seemed like time had stood still, nothing changed, the same church, the same town square, and the same school. The only place she didn't venture through was the bar… she wanted to, she felt the pull dragging her there but she fought against it with all her power.

She climbed out of the tub and wrapped herself in a big fluffy robe that the hotel provided, it felt so good to be clean and fresh again, and with an air conditioner that actually worked. Without all that heat she could finally think again, nothing bad was going to happen, they were going to be here for two weeks and then boom! Gone again, like it never happened. In fact, she was so sure of it that she wasn't leaving this hotel unless it was to see something specifically wedding related. She was not here on a social or touristic visit, she was going to hide in the hotel for the whole two weeks and then everything would be over. "God you're so pathetic, Elena" She rolled her eyes "Where's all that girl power you were mustering a few minutes ago?" The silence in the room startled her and she suddenly remembered how much Elijah hated when she talked to herself, but it had always felt like a therapy to her.

She let herself fall onto the big king sized bed and settled on the fluffy pillows. The grown up part of her still didn't understand why she was making a big deal out of this, it's not like they ended on bad terms, no one had cheated or lied…they just ended. "Come on, Elena, what's the worst that can happen? You see him, he barely recognizes you because he forgot all about you so easily…" Her heart dropped and fear took hold of her "No, of course not. He would never completely forget about you. So you see him, he remembers you, feels happy to see you and introduces you to his beautiful wife and two cute children" Her stomach started to feel queasy at the thought. God, she wasn't sure which idea was worse.

"Just leave it all to fate Gilbert, let's see what happens"

She closed her eyes but couldn't sleep; her body was full of dread. Of finding someone familiar once she was out of this room, seeing places that reminded her of her teenage years, old friends. She realized she wasn't only afraid of seeing **him** but she was afraid of seeing all of them, the people she left behind. Stefan, Matt…Caroline. There's nothing she regrets more than losing contact with her, she had been her best friend and Elena had been so unfair to her.

She started remembering all of the adventures she had while growing up here, days at Caroline's house and nights at the bar, weekends in her grandparents' farm and starry nights lying next to him, slowly and without realizing it she drifted off to sleep.

Dreaming about that blue eyed boy who had stolen her heart.

* * *

Elena was still contemplating the existential crisis of her life while she drove to "La vie", an apple orchard Ana saw on the internet. Apparently people celebrated a lot of events here, she couldn't remember ever seeing it before but when Anna showed her the pictures she had agreed that it was the perfect place for a wedding.

Elena parked on the side of the road and walked to a little rusty office she saw in the entrance, if the rest of the place was like this office then they would have officially been cheated on by the magic of the internet. "Hello?" Elena called out but received no answer, she knocked on the dusty door three times but no one came.

She huffed and pulled out her phone to make sure she had the right address. When she confirmed it she started to walk to a path that seemed to lead to inside the property; she hadn't come here for nothing so she was determined to find the owner of the place. She could see a sort of barn far away so maybe someone was there.

After a few minutes of walking, the beautiful orchard she had seen on the internet opened before her, and it was as beautiful as the pictures showed "Amazing" She murmured while looking around her, her mind already painting ideas for everything she was going to do to this place for the wedding. The place was simply magical and her eyes even became a little bit misty while imagining Jeremy and Anna saying "I do" here. She was so distracted by her admiration of the place that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" A voice she easily recognized said behind her

She froze for a moment and then a smile started to form on her lips "Matt? Matty?" She questioned before turning around and coming face to face with the blonde man who used to be one of her best friends back in the day.

"Elena Gilbert?" He said, his blue eyes were so wide that it was almost comical "Is it really you?"

"In the flesh" She said with a big smile

"I cannot believe this!" He shouted and ran towards her "It's really you" He lifted her up in a big bear hug and twirled her around the room, she laughed and her heart felt a lot lighter than what it did that morning.

"Look at you" She said once he released her "All grown up and so handsome"

He let out a small laugh and then looked at her with a big goofy smile on his face "And what about you? You're gorgeous! And all fancy and elegant" He gestured to her outfit, a pale pink pencil skirt, a white silk blouse and killer heels, an outfit she was feeling regretful of choosing, since she could already feel the sweat forming on her skin and her feet starting to ache "And what are you doing here, after so many years?"

"My brother…Jeremy is getting married" She said with a smile "Here, in two weeks so I came to arrange everything"

"Really, oh my God" Matt said with an expression of surprise on his face "He must be, what, 25 now?"

"Yeap, 26 this September"

"Wow, time does fly by fast" He said, shaking his head "I still remember when he was a fourteen year old kid running around the town square"

"Yeah, I know what you mean" She said. And she did. Ten years had flown by and she felt like she wasted every single minute of that time. God, being in this place was turning her into such a negative bitch.

"And what about you? You married?"

"Nah, my brother beat me so now I'll stay single for the rest of my life" She answered jokingly, even though sometimes she did wonder if maybe her destiny was to be forever alone.

"Nonsense" He smiled at her, "God I can't believe you're here, everyone's going to be so shocked once they find out you're back!"

"Yeah, I know" And then she wanted to add _but I'm not back, I'll just be here for two weeks,_ and then she also wanted to say _but please don't say anything to anyone._ But that seemed like the cowardly thing to do so she said nothing. Besides, in a small town like Mystic Falls it was almost impossible to keep a secret. "So, do you own this place?" She askedd, directing the conversation to the topic she came here to deal with.

"Yeah, crazy right" He said, scratching his head "We never knew about this place until the town started to grow west and then when my grandmother passed away this place became ours, Vicky's and mine" He shrugged and smiled down at her. Matt was always smiling and that hadn't changed in the last ten years.

"How's Vicky by the way?"

"She's great, currently working in Chicago" Matt told her with a proud look on his face. Elena recognized it because it was the same look she had every time she talked about Jeremy. Vicky Donovan was the only one of them who always dreamed of getting out of Mystic Falls, it made Elena happy to know she had reached her dream. "But she visits very often"

"Good, that's good Matt" She said absently "So, can we have Jeremy's wedding here?" She smiled hopefully and he smiled back at her

"Of course, come here, I'll tell you how it works"

He took her to his office; thankfully it wasn't the one she saw when she first arrived. Matt was a grown up now, with a property and a fiancé she had learned, a steady job and a small house with a picket fence. But when she looked at him she could still see the young boy with big heart who used to bus tables in the town restaurant. She wondered if the same would happen when she saw **him.**

Once they arranged everything for her to rent the place he walked her back to her car "It's been so great to see you again, Elena." He said before giving her a hug so strong that she thought he would crush her "I know everyone will be happy to see you. In fact, we're all getting together in the bar in a few minutes, you should come" A hopeful smile appeared on his face

Elena's heart stopped beating in her chest. Could she do that? No, she couldn't. Not yet, it was just too soon. "Sorry but there's some things I need to do in town" She gave him a regretful look

"Nah it's okay, some other time" He said slowly "You'll be here for two weeks right?"

"Yeah, you're right. Another time it will be" She agreed before giving him one final hug and entering her car. Her hands were shaking and it cost her more than it should to start the engine of the car. Seeing Matt had woken up so many things inside her, memories she didn't want back, her heart was beating wildly in her chest and before she had time to regret it she made the turn that would take her to the place she refused to think about in the last ten years.

She parked in the front but didn't dare leave the car. The place was packed, like it was every night during the years she used to live here. This place had been like a second home to her, she used to spend a lot of time behind that bar or playing in the kitchen, her first kiss had been in the little office in the back. Hope Salvatore's bar, the place who saw her dance with the love of her life for the first time.

She didn't realize she was crying until she tasted the saltiness of her tears on her lips. "Oh God, Damon" She murmured while reading the neon sign that read _Salvatore,_ she guessed the place was still theirs, that if she walked in at this very moment she would find him behind that bar or in that tiny office. She was the closest to him as she ever was in the last decade and the longing inside her grew, she wanted to see his blue eyes again, to feel his hair against her hands and his lips against her mouth. To feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and hear him say her name.

But she was so scared. So very scared that her memory was more than reality, that the love they shared so many years ago wasn't as strong as it was back then. She was afraid that he didn't love her anymore. When he stopped writing and answering back, when he cut all communication with her… she knew it was over, that there was no way of changing his mind but she didn't even think for a second that he had stopped loving her and now she was afraid of finding out that she might be wrong…that he didn't love her anymore.

She took a deep breath and with shaky hands drove away from the place that saw her grow up.

.

 _We drifted away like the leaves in the fall_

 _But year after year I come back to this place_

 _Just to remember the taste_

 _Of Strawberry wine and seventeen._

* * *

 _ **Leave me a review? Pretty pretty please?**_


	2. You were my first love

_Hey Guys!_

 _First of all I want to say thank you to all of you reading this, I'm so happy with all the response this story is getting. I really hope you like the direcction this is going, please let me know what do you think. And also I really want to thank Lorena for being the beta for this story :D_

 _ **Love,**_

 **Sam**

* * *

 **FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY BROKEN HEART**

 _From the bottom of my broken heart  
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know  
You were my first love, you were my true love  
From the first kisses to the very last rose  
From the bottom of my broken heart  
Even though time may find me somebody new  
You were my real love_

 **Britney Spears**

 **.**

Elena opened her eyes and stared at the white celling above her, it had been almost impossible to sleep last night, her neck and back were aching from all the tension gathering there. She grabbed her phone to see the time and groaned when it showed that it was still seven am. She knew it was almost impossible for her to fall back asleep now so it was better to try to make the best out of the day.

She took a deep breath and left the bed before she could change her mind, she rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out a pink bikini, if she was awake this early the least she could do was enjoy the pool in the hotel. Elena loved to swim, ever since she was a little girl there was nothing that she liked more than to be in the water, at least twice a week she went to a private pool in San Francisco so that was something that hadn't changed with time.

She lapped for around an hour and while she did it, she tried to reason with herself, there was nothing to be afraid of, it was just a town and he was just a boy and it was all in the past but as she thought more about it she started to wonder if maybe it wasn't just this town or him she was afraid of, maybe it was something else, something deep within her and being here had just triggered it all. When she realized her thoughts were becoming too deep for her liking she decided to leave the pool and head for a shower.

She put on a deep blue sun dress with a flower pattern on it and paired it up with black flats. She was not making the same mistake as yesterday so she wanted to be in a more comfortable outfit. She styled her hair in a side fishtail braid and went to the hotel restaurant to eat her breakfast.

She ate a plate of yogurt and fruit and was about to start with her omelet when her phone started ringing, the screen showed the name of her mother and she cursed mentally. She was definitely in no mood for answering, so she let it ring, if it was something truly important and not just to ask if red would be a color too scandalous for the groom mother she would call again.

Her parents were currently in an extended vacation in Spain, it had been almost a year since the last time she saw them and the idea that in a few days she would be in the same room as her mother really made her nervous, it wasn't that they didn't get along, because they had certainly made progress ever since her teenage years but she just never felt connected to her parents like other people did and they were difficult people to deal with, especially her mother.

Once her phone stopped ringing she took it with her left hand and started to type a to-do list while she ate her breakfast with the right one. Jeremy always told her she was amazing at multi-tasking but that sometimes she took things a little bit over the edge, this probably counted as one of those times but truth be told she wanted to be as busy as possible so that she had no time alone with her thoughts.

 _ **TO-DO LIST**_

 _Stop ignoring my mom_

 _Stop thinking about Damon_

 _Pick up Jeremy and Anna_

 _Find a band for the wedding_

 _Choose one out of the final three for the catering service_

 _Find a decent bakery (Jeremy and Anna didn't want the cake to be delivered from somewhere else so now we'll just have to find a place that bakes decent wedding cakes )_

 _Supervise the arrival of the equipment for the wedding (they were having things delivered from NYC)_

 _Speak to Matt about the installment of things in the orchard_

 _Take Jeremy and Anna to see the orchard_

 _Visit Caroline_

 _Talk to Bonnie_

 _Stop thinking about Damon_

After finishing her breakfast she crossed a few things out of her list, like choosing a catering service, speaking to Matt and talking with the guy who was coordinating the delivery of things from New York. And now she really wanted to talk to her friends, they were arriving next week and she already felt she needed their support.

She dropped herself on her big bed and dialed Bonnie's number "Are you having a panic attack already?" Her friend asked once she answered

"Not right now, but I think I had one of those yesterday" She said with a pout

"Oh honey, I know it's hard but you can do it, it's only two weeks" Elena could picture Bonnie with a sympathetic look on her face and it instantly made her feel better,

She had met Bonnie in her inductive course in college, they had clicked immediately. Elena had been in a desperate need of a friend and Bonnie was so like her that it was almost impossible for them not to be instant friends. She was now a high school teacher and had the biggest heart in the world.

"I really want to hide in the hotel room forever" Elena whined "I mean I'm a grown woman for crying out loud! Why is this so hard…"

"Because you loved him. Because you still love him" Bonnie answered softly "Because you're afraid to see if he forgot about you… because you're afraid of the recriminating stares…because you left and never returned"

"Bonnie, you're not helping" Elena said and closed her eyes; she could feel a headache coming.

"But it's okay Lena, because those things are in the past and you just need to let go so you can embrace the future"

"That's a load of crap" Elena heard another voice say in the background and smile in spite of herself. "Give me that phone"

"Hey Mer" Elena greeted with a smile on her face

Meredith had been Elena's roommate all through her college years; she was this tall, skinny brunette girl, with thick lashes, olive skin and very elegant eyebrows. Elena was a little bit scared of her at the beginning because of all of the strength that emanated from her but she turned out to be one of her best friends. Always there when she needed her. Meredith was a piano player, currently working for the symphony.

"Listen to me Elena, what you need to do is get out of that damn hotel room, find that asshole, Damon Salvatore, and kick his bloody ass!" Elena could almost hear the teeth grinding in Meredith's mouth and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because the insensitive jerk broke up with you over a phone call!" Elena cringed at the memory. It had been Meredith who sat with her the whole night while she cried her eyes out after that phone call. Let's just say she wasn't Damon's biggest fan.

"It was a long time ago, Mer"

"Long time my ass; if you don't do it I'll do it. Just wait until I arrive there" Elena could hear Bonnie reprimand her other friend and smiled at herself. Calling them had been the right call; they always managed to put a smile on her face.

"Just don't listen to Meredith, she's in a bad mood because her beloved cello player didn't make her orgasm" Bonnie teased through the phone and Elena laughed out loud

"What? I thought he was amazing with his hands!"

"And that's the only thing he's amazing with" She heard Meredith yell in the background "And only with the cello"

"Oh God" Elena said with a smile "I miss you guys already, can't wait for you to come down here"

"Actually we have a little surprise" Bonnie interjected and Elena could picture her smiling "The principal agreed to give me my vacation right now and Kol is moping around because Nadia left for Prague and won't be back until next month, so…we arrive tomorrow!" Elena immediately sat upright with the biggest smile on her face

"You're shitting me!" She said while bouncing on the bed, she was three seconds away from standing up and jumping up and down on the bed "What about Mer?"

"She has a concert on Friday but will be there Saturday morning" Elena couldn't help but feel exhilarated. Her friends were arriving a week before planned and the idea of having them as a support here was beyond amazing.

"Oh you guys have no idea how happy this makes me!" Elena said "I really need you guys here"

"And so we'll be there" Bonnie promised.

* * *

Elena talked with her friends for over an hour and hanged up when she realized it was almost 3 pm. She had no idea where the time went, so she would grab a quick snack and head down to pick up Jeremy and Anna, it was a one hour drive to the airport and she wanted to be there on time. They would eat lunch somewhere there and then they would go to see Matt, Elena wanted them to see the orchard and Matt had been more than willing to show it to them.

"I can't believe that the place we're having the wedding in belongs to Matt" Jeremy exclaimed while shaking his head. Their flight had nearly been delayed an hour and now they were driving towards the orchard. The sun had started to set and soon it would be completely night.

"Was this Matt guy a really good friend of you guys?" Anna asked from the back seat, the girl had been so excited since the moment their plane landed. Elena guessed it was excitement for the wedding, because she couldn't imagine why someone would be so happy to be in Mystic Falls. The place was practically in the middle of nowhere.

"Yes…well more Elena's than mine since I was still pretty young" He answered honestly while looking at Elena "But I mean he's one of those people we met since little kids… and what were the odds of him being the owner?"

"Well you know Jer, things always happen for a reason" Elena rolled her eyes and tried to ignore the conversation that followed between her brother and his fiancée. Elena loved the girl but she was into all this mystical crap about soulmates, destiny and stuff and she was in no mood to be hearing all of that.

They drove for around fifteen more minutes and the path started to appear. Elena thought to herself that she was going to need some good signs for the guest to arrive here, the place was pretty hidden.

"We're here" She announced before parking. She could see Matt walking towards their car with a big smile on his face. Seriously, wasn't this guy ever sad or angry? She thought to herself but then scolded herself because she was being a bitch and Matt was such a nice guy.

Jeremy left the car in a heartbeat and with the biggest of smiles on his face he walked towards the blond guy "Matt!" Both men hugged and beamed at each other and Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes. They weren't even that good friends back then, what was all that excitement about? Was she the only one who wasn't happy to be here?

"Are you okay Lena?" Anna asked her. She was standing right next to her while Matt and Jeremy chatted.

"Yeah, yeah. It was just a rough night" Elena said and chided herself once again. This was her brother's wedding; she was supposed to be happy. She had to stop with this whole negativity.

"Hey Anna, come here!" Jeremy yelled and she walked over to him gladly. He introduced her to Matt and Elena couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. Not the bitter kind but in that moment she just longed for something like the love her brother and Anna shared. She was smiling at him like he was the sun and the way he held her hand and traced small circles on her skin made her heart ache.

The three of them started to walk towards the orchard and Jeremy turned around to face his sister "You coming?"

"Nah, I looked at it yesterday, I'll just stay here" Jeremy gave her a confused look but continued walking next to Anna. Elena leaned her back against the car and closed her eyes.

Once in college, a very long time ago Bonnie had asked her what would take to make her happy. Her answer had been immediate, a good job, a good income and being able to sleep at night knowing her future was certain. Now, she couldn't think of something more stupid to say, because yes, all of those things were important but she already had them all and she didn't feel happy at all, at least not right now. So, what would it take to make her happy?

Elena continued contemplating the existential crisis of her life and was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching. "Hey Elena!" Jeremy's voice startled her and she looked up to find the three of them walking towards her "Matt said we should go with him to the bar; apparently everyone is going to be there as well."

Elena shot Jeremy a panicked look but he seemed to be too concentrated on something else because he didn't pay her any attention. Everyone? The bar? Elena felt her chest tighten and her hands started to sweat.

"Maybe some other time" She said politely while smiling slightly at Matt

"Oh come on, you said that last night" The blond boy whined and Elena cursed mentally

"Come on Lena, don't be like that" Jeremy said and walked towards her "Just one night, do it for me" He put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze

"Fine" She muttered under her breath. She was so going to make Jeremy pay for this. And it was going to hurt like a bitch.

Matt beamed at them and told them to follow his truck so they could arrive together. Elena shook her head, as if she could possibly get lost, even if she got Alzheimers she would know the way to that damn bar.

"Come on Anna, you're gonna love it" Jeremy said and Elena could see the excitement radiating from him, that made her heart feel a little bit lighter. She was doing this for her brother. "I hope the bar is still the same, I would hate to see that they changed it"

"What were you doing in a bar at fourteen?" Anna asked with a half-laugh

"Oh, well it wasn't that kind of bar. Well it was…but it's more like a family thing, a tradition"

They continued chatting all the way while Elena felt the dread coiling in the pit of her stomach. She felt a hole in her stomach and was almost shaking. "God damn it, Elena, you can do this" She thought to herself

"Elena, are you okay?" Anna asked from the back seat "You look pale"

"I'm fine"

She felt Jeremy's warm hand on her arm "It'll be fine Lena, I promise" she looked at him and she gave him a reassuring smile. It would be okay, she had to believe that.

Since the moment they stepped out of the car she felt like her body was made of cement, she felt heavy, like doing this would take too much energy out of her and the moment they stepped inside the bar with the neon sign reading Salvatore she felt her heart coming out of her chest.

It was like stepping into a time capsule, she was transported to a decade ago, where she was seventeen and her whole life was still ahead of her. "Wow, it all looks the same" Jeremy said in awe. From the wooden bar, to the warm yellow lights, the small stage where on Thursdays everyone used to make fool of themselves in Karaoke, the wooden tables and tucked in the corner that old jukebox with its bright colors.

"Hey guys!" Matt yelled cheerfully and Elena was brought back to the present with the sound of his voice "Look at what the wind brought back to us" Jeremy took her hand and they both walked to a table tucked in the corner next to the jukebox.

Elena stared at the people at the table who now looked at her with their mouths wide open. There was a guy she didn't know, Tyler, Andie, Trevor…and Caroline. "Hi" Elena said with a timid smile and waved. She felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of the people who used to be her best friends.

All at once, like if they were defrosted, they jumped and went to hug her and Jeremy, asking her all kinds of things about her new life and the last ten years. It felt so good, being surrounded by them. But of course she noted that it wasn't just the blond guy she hadn't yet met that remained seated at the table, Caroline had too and was now giving her a look she couldn't quite decipher. It felt like a shot straight to the heart.

"What's all this fuzz about?" A voice said from behind and it was the only voice she knew she would remember, even when everything else was forgotten. Her heart stopped beating; she was sure of it and the people around her stopped talking all at once. "Well" He said more closely now and Elena turned around to be face to face with the first boy she ever kissed.

Except he wasn't a boy anymore, he was all man. His face was different now, his features were harder, and he was a bit taller and broader. But his eyes were still the same, that deep blue that always managed to make her weak in the knees.

But she didn't have much time to really look at him because within seconds she found herself being surrounded by his strong arms. "So it's true, it wasn't a lie" He said and buried his face in her braid while she clutched his shirt at his sides and tried her best to not start crying "You're really here, Lainey"

She felt laughter bubbling inside her "Oh my God, I don't think anybody has called me that name in the last ten years" She said and he pulled away and smiled at her, truly smiled at her and she felt the hole in her stomach turn into thousands of butterflies.

"You still smell like strawberries" He stated softly and she only shrugged

"Same shampoo" He smiled back at her and held both of her hands, his fingers tracing hers, unconsciously looking for a ring, for something to tell him she belonged to someone else now. But he found nothing.

"God, I can't believe you're really here" He shook his head and took her in his arms once again. She pressed her face into his black t-shirt and inhaled his scent; it was just like she remembered, sweet, musky, minty and something else, something that was just Damon.

"Stop hogging her, brother" A voice said from behind and Elena smiled softly. Stefan touched Damon's shoulder and forced him to release the brunette girl "Good to see you again, Elena" He said with a small, shy smile and hugged her as well.

"Well guys, the drinks are on me tonight!" Damon announced and walked towards the bar when a man who Elena guessed was one of the employees called him.

"So Jeremy, Matt told us you're getting married" Andie asked with a smile and Jeremy nodded in response. He presented Anna to everybody and Elena smiled slightly at seeing how familiar the scene turned out. She took a seat with them at the table and they all asked her about her life in San Francisco, they joked and remembered like time hadn't passed at all. Why had she been so afraid of this? Of course there was still that small detail of Caroline giving her nasty looks all night, but she was happy to see that the blonde girl was still with Stefan and that they seemed very happy together, even if Caroline wasn't happy to see her again.

While Damon worked at the bar he watched her and couldn't shake that damn smile off his face. He poured drink after drink while forcing himself to remain focused; he wanted to look at her all night just to make sure she wasn't leaving anywhere. For most of the night he felt like he was living in a dream, one of the many he had had the first few months after their breakup.

Elena was actually truly enjoying herself, she still felt that dread in the pit of her stomach but it wasn't so strong now, Damon hadn't come to their table once but she had spent the last two hours with people she thought she would never see again and with Alaric who she had learned was a teacher in high school and Damon's best friend. It actually turned out to be a good night.

But then out of the corner of her eye she saw a very beautiful girl enter the bar, she had long, wavy auburn hair and walked with a confidence in herself that made it almost impossible not to stare at her. Elena watched as she approached the bar and talked to Damon, she saw him smile at her, that flirty smile that used to be only hers and then she watched as the girl leaned across the bar and planted her lips on his. Elena turned her head instantly, not wanting to see anymore, that alone had been enough to crush her heart into tiny little pieces…a part of her had the hope that…no it didn't matter anymore.

Luckily no one seemed to realize that she had witnessed that, they were all too busy joking and chatting. That is no one but Jeremy. He saw the look on her face and knew that it was time to leave "So guys, it's been amazing to see all of you again but Anna and I had a long day and we're calling it a night"

Elena nodded and among signs of protest they left the bar, Elena barely able to stand, her hands shaking and the need to break down pressing in her, but she wouldn't do that, not here.

Damon said goodbye to Rose and then glanced at the table once again, surprised to find Elena, Jeremy and his girlfriend standing up. Fear coiled at the pit of his stomach, was she leaving for good? Matt didn't say how long they were going to be here. He debated whether to go and say goodbye or not but at the end he couldn't do anything but stay frozen in place. While he watched her walk out of the bar once again.

* * *

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	3. We were fearless and young

**Third chapter yay!**

 **Thank yo so much to all of you reading this, I'm so excited with this story and I really hope you're liking the way it's going.**

 **Hope you enjoy the new chapter, thanks a lot to Lorena for correcting it.**

 **And well here we go.**

* * *

 **I GOT THE BOY**

 _I got the first kiss and she'll get the last  
She's got the future, I got the past_

 _We each got something, the other will never have_

 _I got the long hair, hot head  
She got the cool and steady hand  
I got the boy and she got the man_

 **-JANA KRAMER-**

 **.**

Elena tapped her foot nervously on the marble floor; the flight had been delayed for forty five minutes! What was wrong with this place that every single damn flight got delayed? She had refused to over think things about last night, about seeing that girl kissing him… she hadn't shed a tear either. He moved on. That was it, and she had to be happy about it.

She turned around and walked towards the big glass window that showed the country field ahead, the scenario was so different from the one back home, she loved San Francisco but there was something about the quietness of a small place that eased something inside her.

She heard his big loud laugh and her small murmurs and something inside of her relaxed, she turned around and came face to face with two of her best friends. "I told you it was her" Kol said with a smug smile that disappeared the moment he saw the expression on her face "Okay, something's definitely not right" He placed his suitcase next to the window and embraced Elena in a strong hug "What's wrong cupcake?"

Elena couldn't help it anymore, she had fought so hard to keep the tears at bay the last few hours but now, being with familiar faces and loving arms she let everything she was holding since yesterday free "I can't do this, I can't do this anymore" Elena whined against his chest while he stroked her hair softly

Elena and Bonnie had met Kol when he started dating Meredith during sophomore year of college- a period of time they were both trying to forget and that they would deny to anyone who ever asked. Things didn't work out between them in the end though so they both agreed that being friends was the best options. And instead of growing apart like any normal couple of exes would do, Kol just blended himself into the lives of the girls and became one of the best friends Elena had, he always had the right things to say.

"Okay, it'll be okay Lena" He held her for a bit more and then lead her towards her the exit.

Bonnie and him placed their things in the trunk of the rental car Elena drove to the airport and he took the keys out of Elena's hands "No offense cupcake but I don't think you should drive"

"You don't even know how to drive here" She said softly and he gave her a pointed glance

"It's the USA Elena, if I can drive smoothly in London I think I can drive to Mystic Falls" He rolled his eyes and climbed into the red car. Elena went in the passenger seat and Bonnie took the backseat, leaning towards the front and resting her arms in the back of the front seats.

"So, what happened?" Bonnie asked softly and that made a new wave of sobs to break free from Elena

"I saw him yesterday…with a woman" Elena cried between sobs

"Ouch" Kol said under his breath

"I'm so sorry, Elena" Bonnie looked at her with sympathy

"But I'm so stupid! I mean, what was I expecting?" She questioned while wiping the tears in her eyes "It's been ten fucking years, of course he moved on. Why can't I?" She shouted in exasperation

"You have moved on" Bonnie said softly

"There's Elijah" Kol said

"And Liam" added Bonnie

"And that blond guy Ryan" Kol returned

"Yeah but I never loved any of them" She said between sobs "I've never been as happy as he looked with that girl yesterday"

"You always seemed happy with Elijah so I think we can say that things aren't always what they look like" He stated slowly while looking at her before directing his attention back to the road "I'm not saying this is the case, because yeah, he probably loves her and all that-"

"Gee thanks" Elena muttered

"I'm just saying anything is possible"

"But it's not just that…it's everything! Even Caroline hates me" Elena continued and closed her eyes "Being here just makes me realize how unhappy I am. And I don't want to sound like a spoiled child who isn't grateful with what she has because I know my life is great…but I just feel…" She placed her hand against her chest as her throat clogged with the emotions inside her "…I feel like something's missing and I don't know what it is" Bonnie leaned forward even more and placed her head just above her shoulder

"Oh Elena… I really don't know what to say" The other girl told her softly "I've truly never seen you like this… well maybe those few months after the breakup"

"And I cry all the time" She whined "I never cry, never in the last eight years have I shed a single tear" Bonnie gave her a look "Well okay I cried with "P.S I love you" and with that movie about the dog waiting for his owner in the train station but even Kol cried with that one, besides crying about movies is not the same…but here? I've been crying every day since I got here" She closed her eyes and laughed sardonically "God I'm so pathetic, right?" She asked while shaking her head "I just feel like everyone has moved on and I'm just stuck. I mean, I can't let go of something that happened ten years ago… these people, I don't even know them anymore, they don't even know me. I'm one of those popular cheerleaders that can never let go of her high school years."

"Cupcake, I think you're being too hard on yourself" Kol said "It's normal that you feel this way, these people, you spent some of the most important parts of your life with them. And who the hell says you need to spend a lot of time with someone to know them or to love them?" He shook his head and looked at her "I mean you can know someone for a day and feel love or you can spend ten years together and never feel it. And you know the people you can spend years without seeing or hearing about them and then when you meet them again it's like time never happened? Well that's the people you want in your life"

The car went silent and Kol turned his head to look at Bonnie when he saw her staring at him through the front mirror "What? I say wise things sometimes" He defended himself in an offended tone "And besides, Nadia loves watching movies about life"

Elena laughed and it was a throaty sound and once she started she just couldn't stop. Soon Bonnie followed her and they were both clutching at their bellies while Kol shot them angry glares "You know what? I'm gonna let this go because you really needed that laugh"

"Oh my God, I love you so much" Elena said before touching his arm softly "I really missed you"

"Me too, cupcake" He said with a small smile

And just like that everything was all right in the world once again.

* * *

Damon cleaned the sweat from his face with the cloth hanging from his pants, finished the last touches on the engine and closed the hood of the car. He pulled the keys out of his back pocket and threw them at the blonde boy hanging by the front door "Take it for a ride to see if everything is working fine, but don't take longer than fifteen minutes" He gave the boy a pointed look "I mean it Luke"

"Don't worry boss" He said with a smile and climbed into the car. Immediately turning it on and leaving the shop.

Damon huffed and looked at his stained blue overall, he was insane for even thinking that something could happen between them again. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. There was more than a world of difference between them, yes he owned his own business, his own car shop and of course the bar, two successful businesses. But at the end of the day he was just a man with a mechanical engineering degree doing nothing more than fixing cars.

And she was…she was something else. All fancy and beautiful, even though she was wearing the simplest of outfits there was something about her that denoted elegance, something completely out of his reach. He wasn't good enough for her back then and he was much less now. She was always meant for something more, something out of this small town. She was just stunning. Through the years he never could get her out of his head but ever since he saw her again at the bar he could do nothing more than wonder what would have happened if that phone call never happened. Would they still be together? I guess I was never going to find out.

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his thoughts, he was planning to ignore it thinking it was probably Rose and he was not in the mood of speaking to her, not when Elena was all he could think about, that was probably a jerk thing to do but he never claimed to be a good guy. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the call was actually coming from Stefan's phone so he picked it up.

"What's up baby bro?"

"I need a favor" Stefan's panicked voice said

"No" Damon answered with a smirk

"Damon come on, I want to surprise Caroline with those cupcakes she loves from Blue Chocolate but I won't be able to pick them up on time and you know that that old lady hates me!" Stefan almost shouted and Damon couldn't help but laugh at this brother "You need to pick them up, please"

"What's in it for me?"

"Damon don't be like that"

"Fine fine, don't worry, hero. I'm gonna save the day this time"

"Thank you, Damon" Stefan said with a relieved sigh, ignoring his brother's remark.

Damon clicked the phone shut and waited until Luke reappeared just like he said he would, ten minutes later. After leaving the young boy in charge of the shop he jumped through the stairs to his apartment and headed into the shower.

* * *

Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she hurried down the street, she could feel the sweat starting to form on her cleavage but this time she didn't care. She chose to wear a black pencil skirt and a baby blue silk blouse paired with the most killer pair of black Louboutin shoes she owned. She needed to feel like the Elena she knew, the classy, cold tempered, fancy Elena she was in San Francisco, she couldn't let this town suck her up completely.

She opened the door to Blue Chocolate and was relieved when the cold wind of the air conditioner hit her, she always loved this café while growing up, they had the best muffins in town and even though the owner was a bitter old lady that didn't stop her from coming. Elena walked in and ordered a blue berry muffin, a coconut smoothie and took a seat in a quiet table near the corner.

Bonnie and Kol had both instantly collapsed the moment they were in their rooms and Elena didn't felt like wandering her hotel room alone so she decided to go for a walk but then she had remembered how much she loved these blue berry muffins and decided to venture in town. There was no point in hiding now, everyone knew she was here. She even found Tyler's mom on the way here, who was super happy to see her and told her that if she ever decided to come back she had the perfect job for her.

Elena pulled out her iPad from her purse and started answering emails from her assistant back home and went through the final details of the arrangements for Jeremy's wedding. She was so deep into her work that she didn't notice him until he took the seat across from her.

"Still can't resist the muffins right" His voice stopped her dead on her tracks and she had to calm her racing heart before lifting her eyes and meeting his blue ones, "Even though she always says the most nasty things" His lips turned into a smirk while he gestured to the old lady behind the counter and it was like a shot to the heart, how familiar that smirk was to her.

"What can I say, the ones in San Francisco aren't as good as the ones here" She said once she was able to find her voice.

Damon had barely recognized her when he walked in. She didn't look at all like she did that night at the bar, right now she had the fanciest of clothes, red lipstick and her hair was in an elegant bun on the top of her head, she looked gorgeous and completely out of his reach, even so he still wasn't able to hold himself still, he had to be the idiot he was and sit in front of her.

"I bet" He said with a small smile "We didn't have time to catch up the other night" He added.

Elena didn't want to think about the other night, not anymore. Even being here right now with him was painful. Did she really mean nothing to him anymore? Just a friend, a girl he used to know? How come it was so easy for him to be here like this with her while she felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest?

"I know it's just that we were really tired about the trip that night." She lied

"Yeah, Matt says Jeremy is getting married?"

"Yeah, next week" She answered while Damon anxiously played with the edges of the table cloth, she would be leaving next week. Out of his life once again, like they never happened, he felt his chest constricting with the mere thought.

"So, that's what you do now, you plan weddings?" He forced the words out of his mouth

"Not just weddings" She said with a small smile "All kinds of events" Her face lit up and Damon felt a pang of unjustified jealousy, he remembered when her face used to light up like that while talking about him.

"You were always good at those kinds of things, I think that's why Mrs. Lockwood used to love you so much" He complimented her.

She laughed softly, somehow more at ease, she was starting to feel comfortable around him once again, that was a dangerous path to follow "I love it, I really do. Even though mom and dad hate it, I think it's something I'm really good at."

"Why do they hate it?"

"They say that I should be doing something more worthwhile with my degree from Berkley than just some 'event business' "She mocked while rolling her eyes, she could still remember all those damn arguments she had with her parents about her career decision.

"Well I think it's amazing that you're doing something you love" He smiled at her softly and Elena felt her heart jumping with the way he was looking at her.

"What about you, what have you been doing?" She asked but she didn't make eye contact, instead she stared at her muffin. She just needed a short break from his intense stare for a bit.

"Well I got a degree in mechanical engineering and I'm not doing anything worthwhile with it" He said with a chuckle and Elena couldn't help but smile at his words "I have my own car shop" He shrugged

"That's amazing!" Elena said with a big smile and the surprise on Damon's face was evident.

"You think?" He asked with a little bit more of vulnerability than he would have liked to show.

"Yeah, I think it's amazing that you have your own business" She bit into a piece of her muffin and Damon felt his blood heating up while watching the way she licked her lips afterwards "Besides you always loved cars, I still remember the way you worshiped the Camaro"

He smiled at the memory "I still do"

"No way!" She shouted, surprising even herself "You still have it?"

"Of course" He said proudly "And it's good as new" The car was obsolete for a long time before he started to work on it again, he truly thought he was not going to be able to fix it but even so he could not bring himself to sell it, that car had so many memories of them together, getting rid of it would be like getting rid of a part of their story.

"I guess some things never change right?" She said with a small smile while he stared at her "What about the bar?" She asked curiously "Are you managing it or is your mom still doing all of that?" Damon shifted uncomfortably on his seat and Elena looked at him with a frown

"No…umm Stefan and I own the bar now" He took a deep breath "Mom died five years ago, she had a stroke"

"Oh my God, Damon, I'm so sorry" She covered her mouth with her hands and felt tears forming in her eyes but she refused to let them fall, she had no right to cry about his mother's death, not after this long but she still couldn't help but feel the pain. Hope Salvatore had been like a mother to her during those teenage years, she could still remember her warm blue eyes and rosy cheeks "God I'm really sorry" Without even realizing it she extended her hand and took his.

Damon squeezed her hand and closed his eyes "Thank you" He said softly, he had wanted to call her so badly after his mom's funeral, she had been the one person he wanted to be with in that moment but he couldn't bring himself to do it, not after so much time had passed, not after the way he ended things with her.

"I really don't know what else to say" She whispered

"You don't have to say anything" He answered as he deeply stared into her eyes.

"Mr. Salvatore" The voice from the young girl behind the counter brought him back to reality "Your order is ready" He cursed mentally, he had hoped that it would take longer than that, he wanted more time with her.

Elena released his hand and gave him an encouraging smile, urging him to pick up the package. The moment between them was over; he could see it in her eyes. So he got up from the table and went to retrieve the blue box with the red ribbon from the counter.

"Caroline is obsessed with cupcakes" He said as he walked towards her table again "And Stefan is always serving her every demand, especially now" He smiled at her. Elena wanted to ask what he meant but decided not to. She was too occupied feeling relieved, for a moment she had thought that the package was for her… for that woman. "It was amazing seeing you again"

She smiled at him while he stood there next to her table "You too, Damon."

"You should come to the bar tonight, it would be great to have you there" He looked at her with longing in his eyes.

"I'll think about it" She answered. He stared at her for another moment and then leaned down to place a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I really missed you, Lainey" He told her softly with a small smile. He straightened up and walked towards the door while Elena was still finding a way to still her wild heart.

" _I really missed you too Damon"_ She whispered softly, only to herself.

.

 _Back woods on a four wheel, hanging on tight,_

 _I can still feel my racing heart  
If things were different and I had a choice, which would I choose?_

* * *

 ** _Leave me a review?_**


	4. She once was a true love of mine

**Hey there!**

 **I know I'm a bit late but the important thing is that I'm here, right?**

 **I'm really happy with the way this story is going and It makes me so excited to read all of your reviews and see what your opinion on this story is, reading you totally makes my day, so thank you so much to everyone who reads this and takes the time to leave a review or to add me to their favorite list.**

 **I also want to thank Lorena for being the beta on this, she's just so great :)**

 **Hope you like the new chapter, it's one of my favorites so far.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

 **Girl of the North Country**

 _If you're traveling the north country fair  
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline  
Remember me to one who lives there  
For she once was a true love of mine_

 _Please see for me if her hair's hanging long  
For that's the way I remember her best._

 **-BOB DYLAN -**

 **.**

"Is it weird that I'm kind of excited?" Bonnie asked from the passenger seat

"Yes" Elena muttered

"No, I'm excited too" Kol answered while trying to correctly park the car.

"It's just a bar" Elena rolled her eyes

"But it's THE BAR" He said with a smirk

Her friends always knew the whole story about what happened with Damon, how they met, their time together and how everything went to hell, so they knew the importance that this place had in their story.

"I'm really proud of you, Lena" Bonnie told her "You're taking the high road, and coming here tonight? Well that's incredibly brave!"

"Yes it is" Kol agreed before opening his door and stepping out of the car. The girls followed him, Elena taking a little extra time in getting out. Her legs felt like they were made of jelly and even though she saw Damon a few hours ago the prospect of meeting with him again was enough to drive her nuts.

Tonight she opted for comfort again so she decided to ditch her fancy clothes; instead she was wearing a sleeveless dark blue summer dress that was a little bit above her knees and a pair of white heeled sandals. Her hair was loose, falling around her shoulders and curling slightly at the ends.

"Are you going to stand there forever?" Kol asked when he noticed her still resting next to the car

"She needs a minute" Bonnie said and the boy rolled his eyes in response.

"Get your ass here, Elena"

Elena shot him a nasty look and started walking towards them "I hate you so much" She told him and he only smiled at her. The three of them entered the bar and Elena was relieved and a bit disappointed because Damon was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he wasn't working tonight? But then again he had told her to come so he would probably be here later.

"Wow" Bonnie and Kol both exclaimed at the same time

"You guys are being ridiculous, it's not like you've never seen a bar before" Elena started to walk towards a little booth in the back.

"Not a bar like this, it's so…rustic" Bonnie explained with excitement in her voice "It looks just like the one in Hart of Dixie" She clapped her hands "Oh my God, is Mystic Falls just like Bluebell?"

Elena snarled at her friend "Of course not!" Even though now that she thought about it, there might be some similarities.

"Look, there's even a jukebox in the back" Kol said excitedly "I'm so going to put a song later"

"You've never seen a jukebox before?" Elena asked while looking at them with surprise "Were you living in a cave or something?" She joked

"Ha ha very funny" Kol mocked her

The three of them sat down and ordered buffalo burgers, chicken wings, cheese fingers and a couple of beers. They were having a really great time when Elena spotted a rather large group of people entering the bar. "Oh God"

"What? Is he here?" Bonnie asked and looked around frantically

"Bonnie, don't be too obvious" Elena hushed her and slumped down on her booth, trying to blend in so they wouldn't see her.

"I bet the hot blonde is Caroline" Kol teased as he looked at the people sitting a few tables away from them.

While Elena watched them she couldn't help the pang of nostalgia that hit her, she remembered a time when she used to be a part of that group. When Damon and Stefan were teenagers they used to help their mom in the bar, so all of them were always around there when the boys worked and Hope Salvatore loved having them here. Elena's parents hated it, they always forbid her to go there, after all a bar was no place for a seventeen year old, but they didn't understood that it wasn't that kind of bar. It didn't matter in the end, because most of the times they weren't around so Elena and Jeremy stayed with their grandparents who loved Hope Salvatore and her bar.

"Damn they saw us" Bonnie said and gulped the last bit of her beer "Or rather they saw you" She said to Elena, bringing her out of her trip down to memory lane.

"Fuck"

"Oh you knew this would happen" Kol said

The three of them watched as Matt approached their table with a big smile on his face "It's great to see that you finally decided to come back, Elena" He told her

"Yeah" She smiled back at him "Oh, these are my friends Bonnie and Kol" She pointed to the other people sitting at the table with her. They shook hands with Matt and he invited them to join the group back at his table. Kol was about to say yes when he felt Elena jabbing him with her feet underneath the table so they declined the blond guy's invitation.

"I think it was rude to refuse him" Bonnie whispered once he left

"Rude? You don't even know any of them" Elena said indignantly and took a sip of her beer

"Oh come on, you need to get your panties out of that twist, cupcake." Kol told her, "Relax."

Elena sighed and decided her friend was right, she needed to loosen up a bit, get off that high horse and let herself have a little fun, with that in mind she ordered another round of beer. They continued laughing and talking for around another hour before everything went to hell.

The minute she spotted him her heart did a triple mortal jump in her chest, she felt that anxiety and excitement you get when you see that one special person, the kind of feeling she always got when she was a teenager but then she saw who was standing next to him and all of those feelings went far, far away. That girl, the one from the other night… she was clinging to him with the biggest smile on her face.

"Oh he's the one right" Bonnie whispered. She remembered him from pictures Elena had shown her and Mer back when they started college, he looked a bit different now but you could definitely tell he was the same man.

"Are you fucking kidding me" Kol muttered under his breath "He asks if you're coming and then he brings someone else, what the fuck" Elena could see that he was angry but she didn't care, she just wanted to get the hell away from this place.

"We can leave if you want" Bonnie stated softly while taking her hand, forcing her to look at her instead of watching him with that woman. Luckily he hadn't noticed her watching him.

"Yes please" Elena answered

"No way!" Kol said "We're not leaving, enough with that boy controlling everything you do here" He took both of her hands and looked at her straight in the eyes "We are having a blast and he's not stopping us." With that he ordered a round of tequila shots, this was going to be a long night.

* * *

Damon closed the door of his office and rummaged through some papers on the desk, he was having some issues with some suppliers and couldn't find the papers he needed, he had been on edge all day since his talk with Elena. How easy it had been, to be back to how they used to be. He almost forgot that they were two different people now. He came to the bar tonight with the hopes of seeing her again and then Rose had showed up, he had been ignoring her all week, Damon knew it was a douche move and that he would need to speak with her someday but he didn't want that day to be today.

He sighed and let himself fall down on the little black leather couch that was against the wall.

"Damon, you're taking too long" Rose bursted through the door, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She knew how much he hated when someone entered his office without knocking.

"Rose I need some time alone" He muttered

"You've been needing a lot of time alone lately" She whined while sitting next to him. It was the truth, he no longer felt comfortable with his relationship with her, he had been feeling like this since before Elena's return but now that she was back that feeling had been growing. But she wasn't back right? Not really. "You want to break this off don't you?"

"Rose, you knew that this was going to happen eventually" Damon answered honestly before sitting up straight and looking at her "Ever since we began with this thing we agreed that it wasn't something serious, we're not a couple."

"But I thought that with time you would-"She shook her head as the anger started to grow inside of her "I've been so stupid and you've been such a jerk"

"Rose, I never led you to think otherwise" Damon said with a tired expression "You knew since the beginning that I couldn't love you. I never pretended otherwise and you were okay with it…you understood."

"Yes, Damon at the beginning but then… I fell for you"

"But I can't love you…you know that"

"Why? Because of that girl?"

"What?" Damon asked, perplexed

"You think I'm stupid? I know your ex-girlfriend is back in town, sweet, perfect Elena Gilbert" She looked at him with disdain "She's such a fucking legend in this town. The love of your life, the girl you were never able to forget" She stood up and walked towards the door "I've seen her around town Damon and you're crazy if you think a girl like her will settle down for someone like you" She gave him a nasty glare and disappeared behind the door, leaving a speechless Damon behind. She had delivered an emotional blow that he wasn't expecting…but that didn't mean it wasn't true, Rose was right. Elena could never settle with someone like him and she shouldn't, she deserved so much more.

* * *

"I think I'm a little bit buzzed" Elena declared after their third round of tequila. She saw that girl come out of Damon's office a while ago, she stormed out of the place and Elena was able to see the angry look on her face. No doubt that they were fighting… like she and Damon used to do. Elena wanted to cry when she remembered all of those stupid fights they had, fights that always ended up with sweet words and make up sex. "I wanna go now, can we please go?" She pouted and looked at her friends

"No cupcake, we're not leaving" Kol firmly stated.

"Kol maybe we should go…she doesn't want to be here anymore" Bonnie tried to reason with her friend. But when the Mikaelson man had something in mind there was nothing that could change his mind.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight Elena?" Kol asked her, ignoring Bonnie's comment and leaning towards Elena who looked at him with a puzzled expression

"What the fuck?" She exclaimed after Kol took a strand of her hair and twirled it on his finger "Are you high or something?"

"Just play along with me cupcake" He whispered

Bonnie lifted her eyes and froze in place when she saw Damon staring at their table, Kol probably saw him leaving the office and decided to mess with him "Kol, stop it" the girl warned him.

"Why? Let's give him a little of his own medicine" He said with a smirk

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked while looking at Bonnie who moved her head a bit and pointed with her eyes to where Damon was standing. Elena's heart stopped beating when she saw the look in his eyes, they were blazing with fury and that made her tingle in all the right places. What the fuck was wrong with her? Maybe it was all that tequila. "Oh fuck"

"This is going to end up badly" Bonnie muttered

Elena saw Damon walking towards the table with his friends and it felt like a bullet shot straight to the heart, she couldn't help but feel like she was betraying him, like he was mad at her and she knew it was insane, that he had no right but that didn't stop her from feeling that way.

She took one more tequila shot and then looked at her friends "Kol, let's go please. I don't want to be here anymore"

"The hell with that" Kol said with a devious smirk and walked towards the jukebox.

Elena and Bonnie looked on with curiosity as he pulled some coins from his pocket and inserted them in the jukebox. Almost immediately _The Galway girl_ started playing and the girls both laughed out loud while the people in the bar cheered at the choice of song. Kol became obsessed with that song since they forced him to watch _P.S I love you_ and he played it every time he could.

"Come on, Lena" He shouted while dancing towards her and Elena doubled over with laughter at his little performance. _**We were halfway there when the rain came down of a day -I-ay-I-ay.**_ Hestood next to the table while singing and extended his hands towards her, she looked at him with glee and took his hand.

 _ **And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do**_

 _ **'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue**_

He twirled her around as they moved to the rhythm of the song playing in the background, they were both laughing loudly and Damon felt a stab in his chest, nothing like he had ever felt before. He watched them as his hands turned white from gripping the table too tightly. That was his Elena, and she was with another man.

Was he her boyfriend? Her friend? Since the minute he walked out of his office and saw her he wanted to walk towards her and talk like they did in the morning, then he saw that boy being so attentive with her and wanted nothing more than to march over there and demand him to leave her alone, she was his and only his. Then he felt incredibly stupid for thinking like that, he had no right to ask that, he lost that right a long time ago.

"He totally wants to kick my ass" Kol whispered in Elena's ear

"What are you talking about?" Elena looked at him like if he was crazy

"Your boy, he wants to kill me" He spun her around so she was now facing the table where everyone was watching. All of them were clapping and laughing, well with the exception of Caroline who was looking at them with a frown, Stefan who looked anxiously at his brother and Damon who looked like he wanted to smash something. Elena used to see that look a lot back in the days and it excited her, to know she was getting that reaction out of him. The tequila was really fucking with her head.

Damon gulped down a glass of bourbon and then took the bottle with him before walking out of the bar. Stefan huffed and followed his brother out. "Damon, are you okay?"

"I'm peachy" Damon muttered while walking around the corner and sitting on the steps that lead to the back entrance of the bar.

"I know you Damon, it was hard seeing her with someone else…"

"Shut it Stefan" Damon took a swing at his bottle, he welcomed the burning sensation of the liquor down his throat. "Why would I be mad? I have no right to be" He muttered "I let her go a long time ago"

"Yes, and that was probably the stupidest decision you've ever made in your life" Stefan agreed before sitting down next to his brother

"Jeez Stefan, you really do know how to make me feel better"

"But it's not too late Damon"

"Shut up, Stefan" Damon muttered before gulping down his drink. He really was in no mood to discuss this with his brother.

"You can get her back brother"

"Are you out of your mind?" Damon asked, his voice rising "She's with someone else…and besides, we come from very different worlds"

"That's bullshit Damon…that was always fucking bullshit" Stefan said "And yeah, she might be with someone else now but she was yours first, you can get her back. It can all come back to how it was before"

"No it can't Stefan" Damon said while shaking his head "Nothing will ever be like it used to be" He stood up and opened the back door to the bar, he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his office and wallow in his own misery.

He was surprised at how much it hurt to see her with someone else, he didn't expect it to be like that but it hurt, it really hurt and he didn't want to feel like this. He wanted for things to be like they used to, when they used to drive around town at two am and watch the stars in her grandparents' farm. He wanted to be the one to dance with her to the tune of the songs in the jukebox, he wanted to kiss her until she couldn't breathe, he wanted to be her one and only again… but he couldn't, not when their lives were so different…not when she was leaving in a few days.

* * *

 _The droplets of rain fell above them and soaked their clothes, within minutes they were both beyond drenched but they didn't care. He held her hands and gave her that smile that always made her weak in the knees, she felt adrenaline running through her body and a happiness that couldn't be contained "Promise me this is forever" She shouted above the noise of the rain_

 _His blue eyes twinkled as he smiled back at her "I promise" He said. And in that moment he knew it was the truth, he was never letting her go. "Always" He said as he drew her closer to his body "I'm never letting you go Lainey"_

 _And then she kissed him, under the pouring rain, next to an apple tree in her grandparent's farm. She kissed him like never before, the kind of kiss that stays branded in your soul, that kind of kiss soldiers get before going off to war and never in their lives had something felt so right._

 _Forever he said…and she believed every word._

"Elena, Elena" She felt someone shaking her but she refused to open her eyes "Open your eyes honey, we're here" Bonnie told her softly, Elena huffed and cursed mentally

"Why are you making me go out so early?" She whined after finally opening her eyes

"It's ten am" Kol said and stepped out of the car. "This is hardly morning" He opened the door of the backseat where Elena was currently laying down "Besides, we need to get going if we want to pick up Mer from the airport"

"Yes but I have a brutal hangover" She muttered while putting on her dark Prada shades. She felt her damp neck and cursed once again at the brutal heat of Mystic Falls, one of these days she would have to go out naked in order to stay fresh. She tied her hair in a high ponytail and finally stepped out of the car. "And I know I'm the wedding planner but shouldn't Jeremy and Anna taste their own cake?"

"Yes, but he's young and in love and enjoying a nice day at the lake with his fiancée" Bonnie said while linking her arms with her and walking down the street

"And besides we get to try free cakes, there's nothing cooler than that" Kol said with a smile and Elena rolled her eyes at him even though he couldn't see her.

Elena talked with every damn bakery in town and still wasn't able to find the perfect cake for Jeremy and Anna's wedding, apparently flashy wedding cakes weren't a very important thing in Mystic Falls and she didn't want a simple cake for her brother's wedding, she wanted something big . So here they were, visiting the bakery of an eighty year old woman who used to give her sweet treats when she was little, Elena seriously doubted they would find what they were looking for here but there was no harm in trying.

"I think the cakes here are probably as old as the owner" Kol said while looking at the different shelves around the store

"Shut up, Kol" Elena hissed, there was no one on the front counter but voices could be heard in the back.

"I think it has charm" Bonnie offered "It's very vintage"

A deep male laugh was heard from the back and all the blood on Elena's body warmed at the sound, even the intense headache disappeared, she would recognize that laugh anywhere. Seconds later Damon stepped out of the back and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her standing by the door.

"Thanks so much for the help Damon" The voice of an elderly woman called from the back

"You're welcome, Mrs. Flowers" He answered and walked towards the door

"Hi" Elena said softly once he was in front of her

"Hi" He answered back

The elderly woman stepped out of the back and Bonnie and Kol made themselves appear busy by talking to her, trying to give Elena a little bit of privacy.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked with curiosity while removing the glasses from her eyes, she knew she probably looked like shit but didn't want a barrier between her and Damon.

"I came to fix a light that broke in the back" He shrugged

"That's really nice of you" She complimented

"She was always nice to me…and well we all try to help each other here"

"Yeah" She nodded softly

"What about you?" He asked

"I'm looking for Jeremy's wedding cake…still can't find something that I like"

"I doubt you'll find something here, she almost never does cakes anymore" He said with a small smile "But why don't you try with Caroline?"

"Caroline?" Elena asked with a frown

"Yeah, she owns this little bakery and bakes some amazing cakes…she's like the Cake boss from Mystic Falls" He said with a little laugh "She won't be there today but I'm sure you can catch her tomorrow"

"Yeah that would be great" Elena said even though the idea of reuniting with Caroline didn't really appeal to her, she was positive that the blonde girl hated her now and was scared to find out how much. "Do you have the address?"

"Yeah" He said while pulling out a pen out of his pocket "emm do you have any…" He gestured to her to give him something to write on but she couldn't come up with anything better than her arm.

He smirked at her and took her arm between his hands, Elena felt a current of electricity going through every single nerve in her body at his touch and she wondered if this affected him in the same way. "There you go" He said once he was finished.

She thanked him and he smiled at her, ready to leave but she stopped him by putting her hand on his bicep "You didn't say hello yesterday" She said with a shaky voice. He felt his blood warming at the sound of her voice and the touch of her skin on his.

"I noticed that you were busy" He muttered and it sounded a lot bitterer than he had intended. "But you looked beautiful" He said in a whisper and Elena felt her lady bits coming alive at the sound of his voice

"Maybe we'll see each other again tonight" She replied because she was stupid and couldn't control her damn mouth.

"I would really like that Lainey" He said before placing a kiss on her cheek and disappearing behind the door

..

 _I'm wonderin' if she remembers me at all  
Many times I've often prayed  
In the darkness of my night  
In the brightness of my day_

* * *

 ** _Leave me a review?_**


	5. Saddest girl we've ever seen

**Hi!**

 **This was fast, right? Next one won't be like that because I'm going on a trip next week but don't worry I WILL update as soon as I can.**

 **This chapter is kind of short but if I didn't cut it where I did it would have been too long.**

 **I really hope you like the way it went, I'm very happy with it.**

 **Thanks a lot to everyone reading this and to Lorena, who does an amazing job being the beta for this story.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

 **Ballad of a teenage queen**

She had everything it seems, not a care, this teenage queen  
Other boys could offer more but she loved the boy next door

Then one day a movie scout came to town to take her out

Hollywood could offer more  
So she left the boy next door working at the candy store

 **-Johny Cash-**

.

"You should have seen his face, Meredith, the damn guy wanted to throttle me!" Kol told the brunette girl sitting in the back while Elena rolled her eyes at him from the passenger seat

"He did not" Elena protested

"Of course he did" Bonnie said while Meredith looked at the three of them intently, her head swinging from side to side every time they each spoke "And you should have seen them at the bakery, all that sexual tension and the angst! It seemed like they had come out of a Nicholas Sparks movie!"

"Shut up Bonnie" Elena muttered

"No, please continue" Meredith laughed "I should have ditched that stupid concert and come here sooner" Her eyes twinkled with amusement "This town looks like so much fun!"

"And wait until you see the bar" Kol added "We're so going to dance tonight, Mer"

"You betcha babe" She agreed with glee

"Why? You want a trip down the memory lane of your relationship?" Elena fired before putting on her black shades

"Now, Elena, don't be mean, we have a silence pact on that and now it's not time to break it" Meredith said seriously but the beginning of a smile could be seen, Kol on the other hand was doing his best in trying not to laugh

"Oh please" Elena huffed "Besides we're not going anywhere near that bar again, he has a girlfriend!"

"You don't even know if she's his girlfriend" Bonnie said

"You saw them, Bonnie, they definitely have something going on"

"Maybe they're just friends with benefits" Meredith stated

"Yeah like that's better" Elena sighed

"Oh come on, Elena" Kol continued "You didn't exactly expect for him to remain celibate, did you? You certainly didn't" He said while taking the turn that would take them straight to their hotel

Of course she hadn't expected that, she knew that he had moved on with his life. Part of her always imagined that he would be married by now with one or two children running around but it was harder seeing it than just thinking about it.

"And besides…it's not like he's going to leave her just because I'm here" She said

"From the looks of it they might not even be a thing…. Seriously, Mer, you should have seen the way he was looking at her"

"Damn I have to meet him!"

"I thought that you were going to kick his butt when you saw him?" Elena turned around in her seat, lowered her shades and looked at Meredith with a quirked eye brow

"And I am, trust me, that boy won't even see me coming… but I've been reflecting on this…because you know your love life is way more exciting than mine and I've come to the conclusion that things happen for a reason my dear, Elena." Meredith explained and Elena rolled her eyes at her, put on her glasses again and sat down on her seat "And maybe the fact that Jeremy wanted a wedding here means something….and the fact that he isn't married or with children, still possibly available. And who am I to mess with what fate wants?"

"Are you smoking pot again?" Bonnie looked at her friend like she had grown a third head or something

"Yeah, when did you become this peaceful? I want bitchy Meredith back" Kol said

"I'm trying to have a new approach on life" Meredith answered "So don't mess with me bitches"

Elena laughed in spite of herself and Kol parked the car in the hotel parking lot "Now, I'm going to take a little beauty repairing nap and then we're going to that bar" Meredith announced once they were out of the car and walking towards the hotel door.

"No way, we're not going" Elena remained firm while crossing her arms and stomping her foot like a five year old

"Yes we are…" Kol whispered in a sing song voice as they entered the lobby.

"And we're also getting the love of your life back!" Bonnie stated

"And figuring out why he broke up with you ten years ago" Meredith said "That boy has a lot of things to answer to… trust me I'm going to get it all out of him"

Elena groaned and for the first time wished she was doing this alone, this was going to be an awful night. Maybe she could say she was sick? But of course they were not going to believe her. The idea of seeing Damon excited her and filled her with dread at the same time, on the few days she had been here she had already experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and she couldn't imagine what was still going to come.

* * *

At the end of the day Elena decided to go to the bar without much restrain, maybe because she knew that there was no use on it, they were going to drag her there one way or the other. So she decided to put on her big girl pants, it was just a bar and just a boy and she was a successful and experienced woman and she could do this, so she put on her makeup, a baby blue summer dress, a pair of flats and curled her hair slightly. If she was going to attend her funeral she might as well look pretty.

They had been in the bar for the last hour and Meredith was loving every minute of it, she and Kol had been dancing all over the place while Bonnie drank tequila shot after tequila shot. Elena huffed slightly and looked around the bar, she felt quite a bit jealous of her friends.

There was a time when she could be just as carefree as they were being right now, but then with the years, something started changing inside of her, she became colder, firmer, she started only caring about how much money she was making and how famous she was becoming, she was turning into her mom and she hated it. That's why she didn't want to marry Elijah, she knew that if she made that final step he would kill every trace of that free spirited girl she used to be and she didn't want that, she missed that girl, she missed her so much. With a heavy sigh she took the bottle in front of her and poured the tequila. She was going to find that Elena again tonight.

"So, Matt tells me you're a teacher?" Meredith asked before throwing her hair backwards in a very sultry manner, her flirt mode was on Elena thought from across the table as she watched her friend practically sit on Alaric Saltzman's lap, not that he would have cared too much since he was glancing at her breasts every chance he could.

"Yeah I'm a high school teacher" He answered with a raspy voice as he tried to control the emotions the girl was evoking on him

"That's sounds so interesting" Meredith said while leaning over and tracing her finger down the length of his thigh. Her idea to kick Damon's ass was forgotten the minute she put her eyes on the hot blonde teacher.

"Trust me, it's not that interesting" He nervously stated as he watched the girl's hand go up and down his thigh.

"Someone's getting lucky tonight" Kol whispered into Elena's ear

"I hope he's better than the cellist" Elena answered back and they both started to giggle. The alcohol was reaching high levels and if she kept that up Elena was going to have another hellish hangover the next day.

In some inexplicable way Elena and her new friends had ended up in the table of her old friends. Maybe it had something to do with Matt being a sweetheart and insisting on them to join them and Elena being as drunk as she was couldn't help but say yes to the blonde boy, Caroline and Stefan weren't around so Elena wasn't receiving any nasty glances and was glad and sad at the same time, she wanted to patch things up with the blonde girl, she missed her dearly and wanted her back in her life, maybe Jeremy's wedding cake would be a great idea to start mending things.

"So how long have you been dating?" Andie asked from across the table, bringing Elena out of her thoughts

"Who?" She asked and then took a sip of the cocktail in front of her, Matt told her it was everyone's new favorite here, she had no idea what was in it but it was delicious.

"You two" Andie said, gesturing towards her and Kol

"Eww, we're not together!" Elena denied with a grimace

"That would be like incestuous" Kol stated while shaking his head "Just…eww no" He looked truly mortified "No offense, cupcake" He looked towards Elena

"Non taken"

"Really?" Tyler asked "You truly looked like a couple last night" He told them while looking at them "That's what got Da-" Matt kicked him under the table to stop him from continuing with whatever the hell he was going to say

"Nah, we were just fooling around"

"Nice guys, you're here enjoying the party while I'm busting my ass there in the back" Damon approached the table and Elena felt her palms starting to sweat, suddenly she didn't want to be here anymore.

"You're free to join us" Tyler told him with a smirk as he watched Damon realize who was sitting at their table "Elena and…Kol? You're Kol right?" Tyler said questioningly while looking at the brunette man next to Elena who nodded in response "Well Elena and Kol were just telling us how they're not a couple"

Matt kicked Tyler under the table once again but the brunette man didn't seem a little bit affected or regretful of what he just did. Damon on the other hand just stood there with his mouth open like a fish while Elena casted her eyes downwards towards the glass in front of her, which was almost empty.

"I need another one of those" She muttered

"Where the hell is Meredith?" Bonnie asked as she took a seat next to Elena, she had spent the last hour dancing with Jamie.

"What?" Elena looked around the table and realized that both Meredith and Alaric were gone

"Someone's getting lucky" Andie said with a smile

Damon and Elena continued ignoring each other the rest of the night, something that put Elena on edge and forced her to keep sipping those mysterious cocktails the bartender prepared, she was really loosening up and having a blast, she was dancing with Bonnie and Andie, just twirling on the dance floor and letting herself feel free again. Damon was silently watching her from across his place at the bar, a half smile on his lips as he saw her having fun with her friends, it was almost as if they had gone back in time and she was seventeen again, carefree and truly happy.

That was of course until someone decided to play that song on the jukebox, Elena stilled since the moment the first notes started to sound.

 _I went to see her dad for a sit down man to man  
Wasn't any secret, I'd be asking for her hand_

Suddenly she felt very dizzy and… sad. The happiness evaporating from her with every word. Her mind going back to the past, to summer nights under the stars and strong arms around her.

 _She was playing Cinderella  
She was riding her first bike  
Bouncing on the bed looking for a pillow fight_

Because it was their song, the one they danced to for the first time so many years ago. She felt an emptiness growing in her chest and when her eyes found his across the bar she felt like crying. The place was closing in on her and she needed more air so she left her friends who were dancing slowly now to the song, oblivious to the storm of emotions going on inside of her, she retrieved her purse from the booth and headed towards the door, she couldn't be here anymore.

 _In her eyes I'm prince charming but to him I'm just some fellow  
Riding in and stealing Cinderella_

She stumbled her way out of the bar and the moment the air of the night hit her she felt her stomach getting queasy. "Oh damn" She muttered as she walked towards the back and leaned against the wall "You have got to be kidding me" She said before leaning down and throwing up on the bushes.

Suddenly she felt a pair of arms holding her steady and keeping the hair out of her face as she threw up the contents of her dinner "It's okay, I got you" Damon whispered and she closed her eyes, completely mortified. She definitely didn't expect for him to look at her like this.

Once she was done she just stayed there with his arms around her and her eyes closed, too ashamed to open them "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we've all been there" He said softly while turning her around "It's alright, Elena" He told her again when he noticed that her eyes were still closed. She opened them slowly and was startled with how blue his eyes were looking tonight.

"Your eyes are so pretty" She whispered in awe and then almost died right there when she realized what she had said

Damon looked at her with amusement all over his face "Yours too, doll" he said while touching her cheek softly

"I think I should go" She stated slowly

"I think you're right" He answered "Give me your keys" He added. Elena looked around and saw her purse on the floor next to the wall. Damon saw her eyes moving there and steadied her before retrieving the garment.

"You don't have to do that Damon" Elena said softly

"Yes I do" Was his only response. "Where's your car?"

"I need to tell my friends I'm leaving, they'll-"

"Don't worry, I'll call Matt and he will tell them and I'm sure he will take them back to the hotel" Damon reassured her. They walked together towards her car, her body tucked safely to his side so she wouldn't fall down. And if Elena thought the night couldn't get worse God proved her wrong when they were in her car and the engine wouldn't start.

"It was alright when we arrived" She defended herself while closing her eyes and leaning back on the passenger seat "I swear…"

"But it's not alright now" He shrugged like it was something of non-importance.

"What do we do now?" She asked

"Well, we'll go in my car" He told her while opening the door and walking out of the car. Elena sighed and opened her door only to find him in front of her the minute she stepped out

"I can't leave the car here"

"Yes you can, it's perfectly safe" He stated as they started their walk towards his car now "I'll have someone tow it tomorrow and I'll give it a check"

"No, Damon… you don't have to do that"

"I'm a mechanic, Elena, that's what I do" He shrugged and she decided not to fight him on it, at least not right now. A little buzz from the alcohol was still in her body and she decided to just light up and relax.

Elena hadn't been paying attention to where they were going so she couldn't help the gasp of surprise that left her when she saw the blue Camaro in front of her "Oh my God, Damon, it's just like I remembered it" She said in amazement while a big smile appeared on his face

She walked closer and ran her hands over the hood as a feeling of longing started growing in her chest. She had so many memories of them in this car, it was such an important part of their relationship and seeing it in front of her was something she never thought would happen again and of course having the man she used to love so much standing next to her was too much to bear. She had no idea how she was going to survive this short trip back to the hotel.

"Come on, Lainey" He took her elbow and walked her towards the passenger seat "He's happy to see you too" He said while opening the door and Elena couldn't help but laugh when she remembered how he used to refer to the Camaro as an actual person. "Just please don't throw up on him" He smirked before closing her door.

She laughed and leaned back on the leather seats.

Maybe it was the alcohol doing crazy things to her brain or just something deep inside of her but for the first time in a long time she didn't care about anything or anyone, she felt free, here in this old car with the smell of leather surrounding her and the love of her life next to her it was like she had no other care in the world, she felt happy and like finally carefree Elena was coming alive again.

.

 _All the world was at her door, all except the boy next door  
Then one day the teenage star gave up all her wealth and fame  
Left it all and caught a train  
Do I have to tell you more  
She came back to the boy next door who worked at the candy store_

* * *

 ** _A review please?_**


	6. The way we were

_**I know it's been too long, I did say it would take me a while to update but I didn't expected it to be that long. I can assure that even if I take too long in update sometimes I won't abadon this story, I don't like when authors do that so that's why I will always complete every single story I start**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone reading this, if you're still here well you rock!**_

 _ **Thanks to Lorena for being my beta.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the new chapter, let me know what you think.**_

* * *

 _ **Photographs and memories**_

Writing moments on the wall

The different color keeps

My mind away from missing you

And I can't wait to fall asleep

Slip into my dreams

Where we can dance upon the stars

 **-Jason Reeves-**

 **.**

 _It was a sunny August morning, Saturday to be exact, the birds were chirping and the sound of the children laughing could be heard in every single street. As was normal, Elena's parents were traveling around Europe, currently visiting Greece so she and her little brother Jeremy were under the care of their loving grandparents._

 _Elena and her best friend, a blonde girl named Caroline, were playing with their dolls outside in the driveway when a group of three annoying children arrived and started messing with them. The tallest of the group, Tyler, took their dolls away and threw them to the smallest of the group, Matt, while the third one, Stefan, laughed out loud at the despair in the girl's faces._

" _Tyler give it back!" Elena cried while the boys kept tossing the dolls. Caroline had given up a long time ago and was now crying silently on the entry of her house but not Elena, she was stubborn as hell at the early age of ten years and was not going to let one of those stinky boys see her cry._

" _You have to catch it if you want it" Tyler said with a laugh before throwing it up to Stefan who cached it gladly. They had been going back and forth for the last twenty minutes, Elena trying to chase the doll every time, she was already getting tired and could feel the beginning of frustration tears appear in her eyes._

 _That was of course until he arrived._

 _Two years older than them, since Elena could remember Damon Salvatore had been her knight in shiny armor, she had a secret crush on the boy since forever, even when she thought boys were just stinky idiots, maybe it was because of his pretty eyes or the way he was always so sweet to her but Elena loved him with all her heart._

" _Give the doll back, Stefan" Damon said in a hard tone and sent his brother a warning glance. Stefan had always been afraid of his older brother but he wasn't going to let his friends see him surrender to him so he didn't give the doll back._

 _Damon snorted and took the ball that was resting close to the boys and threw it at his brother, hitting him straight in the arm "OUCH" Stefan yelped and the dolls fell to the ground. Elena wasted no time and rushed to where they lay on the floor to retrieve them._

" _Now go away and don't ever bother them again!" He yelled and the three boys looked at each other before taking their bicycles and getting away from the house._

" _Thank you so much Damon" Elena whispered in a soft voice while walking towards him "You're always saving us" She said with a timid smile before rising on her tippy toes and kissing him softly on the cheek._

" _I always will Lainey" He answered with a smile while wiping the stream of tears on her cheeks with his fingers._

Elena's head was tipped slightly to the side as she watched the streets pass by, it had been years since she last thought about that day. She couldn't help but laugh at the memory, God, she felt so good right now, so happy and free.

"What's so funny?" Damon asked from the passenger seat

"Nothing" Elena answered with a smile, a smile that let him know she was not going to let him into her thoughts. "I just feel so good"

He chuckled "Maybe it has something to do with all the alcohol you ingested"

"Nah I don't think so, I'm not even that drunk. My tolerance is way up there" She said and she threw her arms up in the air and Damon couldn't help but laugh. That was exactly what she said every time she got hammered.

Elena turned her head to the other side so she could study his profile, damn he was hot. Her gaze traveled all over the length of his body and couldn't help the coil in the pit of her stomach at the sight of his strong arms gripping the steering wheel. "How unfair is it that you're even hotter than what I remembered"

"What?" Damon gave her a funny look.

"Oh fuck, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes you did doll"

"Okay, this isn't embarrassing at all" She whined before closing her eyes "But it is the truth, I mean, if you were less hot this would all be so much easier… I think"

"What would be?" He asked with true curiosity, they were already arriving at the hotel and the last thing he wanted was for her to leave the car without giving him some answers.

"All of this" She said, gesturing to the two of them "You having a girlfriend, me wanting to rip off your clothes every five minutes, us having so much baggage…everything" She knew she was probably saying more than she should but the alcohol had loosened up her tongue and now nothing was stopping her.

"I don't have a girlfriend"

"Yes, you do. I saw you two" Elena groaned, forcing those images out of her head "That hot girl with the cute hair… I think her name is Rose"

"Rose is not my girlfriend"

"So what, you're like fuck buddies" Elena asked and Damon cringed at her choice of words but chose not to answer "Oh you are" She whispered when she realized he wasn't going to answer "That's okay…I mean I won't judge or anything"

Damon stared straight ahead at the road, he was now entering the parking lot of the hotel and the last thing he wanted to do right now was talk about Rose, not when he only had a few more minutes with her "We're…I ended things with her"

"Why?" Elena asked in a whisper

"She wanted more than I could give her" He shrugged "I could never love her so it was best to let her go" He answered before turning off the engine of his car.

"Why couldn't you?"

"Because my heart belongs to another woman" He answered while turning around and looking at her. His blue midnight eyes staring deep into hers "I gave it to her when I was around twelve and she took it with her when she left"

Elena's intake of breath echoed in the silence of the car "You can't say things like that Damon" She whispered while casting her eyes down

"Why not? It's the truth. I could never give my heart to another woman" He leaned towards her and stroked her cheek with his fingers "Come on, I'll make sure you get to your room safely" He said before leaving the car. Elena took a deep breath to steady her heart and stepped out of the car as well only to find him standing in front of her.

She felt a surge of love and lust so strong when she saw him, his square jaw and high cheek bones, strong eyebrows and his eyes as blue as the ocean, the same eyes that had shown her endless skies before "Oh what the hell" She said before taking his face between her hands and kissing him with all her heart.

It was nothing like they experienced before, so different from all the kisses they shared in the past. This one wasn't only about love and desire for the other, it was about hope, loneliness, mistakes, yearning… it was two people connecting again, sharing a bond that was stronger than life itself.

He gripped her waist with his hands, pressing her to him as she curled her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him towards her. Their tongues battled for dominance as their sounds of pleasure were devoured by each other's throats. He moved her towards the hood of his blue Camaro and lifted her to rest on top of it, just like she did so many times in the past, her legs were spread apart and he rested between them, bringing their bodies even closer. None of them could get enough of the other. His mouth moved towards her jaw, her neck, everywhere he could touch while she threw her head back, her eyes closed in ecstasy and her mouth open in a silent moan. She didn't care about anything or anyone, not Rose, not her mother, her friends, she couldn't care less about being in the parking lot of a hotel where anyone could walk by them, she only existed in the radius of his arms.

"Oh Damon" Hearing her whisper his name woke up something primal inside of him. He trailed kisses all over her cleavage, enjoying the salty taste of her skin as his hands disappeared between the hem of her dress, touching the outer side of her panties.

"Damon" He took her mouth once again and something in the way she was trembling in his arms, her hands going straight to the fly of his jeans, the way her mouth tasted like tequila and rum made him stop in his tracks.

"Wait…just wait Elena" He said, breathing harshly and stopping her hands before they went too far.

"We can't do this" He stated and it was incredibly painful. He was so damn hard that he knew if they kept this up he would finish in his pants like a fifteen year old boy.

"What do you mean we can't?" She looked at him with hurt and fearful eyes and he cursed mentally, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her feelings "Is it because of her?"

"What? No! of course not" He breathed deeply and rested his forehead against hers "You're drunk Elena, I can't take advantage of you"

"You're not Damon, I'm offering" She whispered in a sweet sultry voice as her legs circled his back and he wanted nothing more than to throw caution to the wind, carry her in his arms to her hotel room and make love to her all night long. But the idea of her regretting this in the morning was too much to bare. He was going to have her wet and willing on his bed, but when that happened she was going to be completely lucid.

"No, Elena" He shook his head and detangled himself from her body "I can't"

"Fine" She muttered, the scorching look on her face being replaced by cold eyes and a stoic expression. She climbed out of the car, took her purse and started walking towards the hotel

"Wait, Elena" Damon went behind her and pressed their bodies together, her back to his front, his arm circling her and resting above her navel "You know how much I want this" He pressed closely to her so she could feel the huge bulge in his pants "But not like this"

"It's fine Damon"

"No, it's not. You're mad but you need to understand. You're Elena Gilbert…my Elena… I can't have you while you're drunk…not when maybe you'll regret everything in the morning"

 _I would never regret it_ , Elena thought but decided not to say anything, her ego was already bruised as it was, and she didn't want to make an even bigger fool of herself. With a deep sigh she released herself from his arms and started walking towards the hotel once again.

"Come on Elena, I'll make sure you arrive to your room safely"

"I'm perfectly capable of getting there alone" She answered harshly but as she was talking her legs trembled and she would have hit the floor if it wasn't for the arms supporting her once again.

"Don't be stubborn, Elena. I need to know you're safe" He said and she did nothing more than to sigh in response, defeated, embarrassed, drunk and a million other things.

The ride in the elevator was one of the most awkward moments in Elena's life; it seemed that in an instant all the alcohol left her body and she wanted nothing more than to lock herself in her room and never come out, she was so ashamed, the way she threw herself at him. She never did things like that.

Once they arrived to her room she opened the door and was about to slam it in his face but he put his hand on it and stopped her from doing it. "Give me your phone please" He said

"What? Why?" Damon sighed and took the purse she was holding "Hey! Don't do that!" He ignored her and pulled out his cellphone from it. "What are you-"He dialed his number and let it ring so he could save her number.

"I'll call you tomorrow" He told her "And tell you what we'll do about your car" She couldn't do anything but just stare at him dumbly. He leaned closer and traced his hand across her cheek, her breath got caught in her throat and she almost groaned at the touch "Good night Lainey" He whispered before placing a soft kiss onto her lips and disappearing into the hallway.

Elena closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, trying to steady her racing heart.

Damon walked back to his car with a small smile on his lips, she still wanted him, and not everything was lost then. He received a message from Matt telling him he was driving Elena's friends to the hotel. Tonight had ended up being a good one, and God was good enough and gave him the chance to fix her car. Now he would have a good reason to see her again.

* * *

Elena looked at herself in the mirror of her compact make up and decided to add a little bit more of concealer under her eyes. Last night was taking its toll on her and she looked like crap, she felt like crap too but that was something more easy to hide.

She woke up that morning feeling like her head was being split in two, a quick message to Kol and Bonnie let her know she wasn't the only one feeling that way since her two friends were both feeling sorry for themselves since the comfort of their rooms, and Meredith…well nobody knew where the hell she was, the only thing they knew was that _the teacher was rocking her world_ like she mentioned on the very cryptic text message she sent them early in the morning.

Elena groaned and threw her head back, she really wished she didn't have to do this today but time was running out and after all she wasn't in Mystic Falls for a social visit, she came here to work on Jeremy's wedding. She took a deep breath and exited the car, thank God Jeremy had rented another car; that gave her more time to ignore Damon's calls.

Elena looked at the front of the little bakery and smiled in spite of the terrible hangover she had. The place looked exactly like she pictured something owned by Caroline Forbes would be. It was exactly like one of those little shops in Le Marais in Paris. She took a deep breath and entered the place, a little bell on the door alerting the people inside that a costumer had arrived.

Caroline was behind the counter, wearing a blue dress and a really cute pink apron, Elena felt a surge of sadness wash over her when she saw the expression on the blonde's face, it wasn't hard like those time they met before but it hurt even more, it was as if they were two strangers, like all those years of friendship meant nothing.

"Hi" Elena said timidly

"Hi. Can I help you?" Caroline planted a big professional smile on her face and looked at her former best friend.

"Uhmm yeah… I heard you do some amazing cakes and I wanted to know if you could do Jeremy's wedding cake" She said, tapping her foot nervously against the white pristine floor.

"Sure!" She said over excitedly "Go and sit and I'll be there in a minute"

Elena nodded and walked towards a little table in the back, she looked around the place and was amazed at how beautiful it was, it had this little vintage charm and she knew that if she lived here it would be one of her favorite places to visit. Louis Armstrong's version of _La vie en rose_ played softly in the back and Elena felt her heart warming. That was always Caroline's favorite song; she always said that it would be the song she would dance to on her wedding… Elena wondered if she had indeed danced to that song with Stefan on their wedding day and she felt so sad for not knowing the answer.

"Here, it's on the house" She heard the blonde girl say before putting a plate with a chocolate croissant and a cup of coffee in front of her

"Thanks" Elena murmured, then her eyes widened when she saw the big portfolio on Caroline's hands

"I know, I'm obsessed with wedding cakes" She said with a small timid smile. She placed the portfolio on the table and pulled out a small notepad out of her apron "Okay let's see… any allergies?"

"Nuts, she's allergic to nuts"

"Just nuts?"

"Yeap"

"Flavor preferences?"

"Cocounut…chocolate and maybe something minty…can you do something minty?" Elena asked

"Of course, we can work on something" The blonde girl said while scribbling everything in her notepad

"Okay, let's see you want something flashy or simple?" Caroline looked at Elena and the brunette could see the excitement on the other girl's face, there was no doubt that Caroline loved her job.

"Flashy… I want something big"

"Okay" Caroline told her and moved the portfolio towards her "Why don't you take this with you and look at it? Maybe you'll see something you like and we can work on it or combine some of the things in there with your ideas"

"I think that's a great idea" Elena answered with a smile

"Come back here tomorrow and I'll give you some samples of the flavors to be sure you like them" The blonde girl said "Around one work for you?"

"Sure"

"Okay then, it's set" Caroline gave her an over exaggerating smile "I'll leave you to your food" She made a gesture to stand up but Elena stopped her by placing her hand on her arm.

"Caroline I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry"

"It's okay, Elena" The blonde girl shrugged "It was a long time ago"

"But it wasn't right" Elena told her "And I'm deeply sorry… I want to try to-"

"No, Elena" Caroline said softly "You can't go back to the way things were…you…you left and never looked back" Caroline took a deep breath and stared straight into the eyes of the one who used to be her best friend "And I get that you were going through so much but I was too and I needed my best friend. And I know that breaking up with Damon was hard and that you wanted to cut ties with everything related to him but… I was here first, before him" Elena could hear the small tremble in her friends voice and it killed her.

"I'm sorry"

"You were my best friend Elena… and you just left"

"I don't know what to say Caroline" Elena told her as she watched a small tear roll down the blonde girl's cheek

"Don't say anything. Like I said, it's all right now" She wiped her eyes and put on a big smile again "I'll see you tomorrow" She said before standing up and walking away from her

Elena looked down and started eating bits of her food but nothing tasted good anymore, not with this big lump in her throat. Losing contact with Caroline was the one thing she regretted the most in her life, wasn't that the same thing Damon did to her? She shook her head lightly, how can you go from knowing someone so well to stop talking to them? How can you walk away from the people you swore never to leave.

Meredith, Bonnie and Kol were her best friends, she couldn't imagine not having them in her life; they had been together through so much but Caroline? In spite of not seeing her for the last ten years there was no doubt in Elena's mind, in her heart that Caroline was and will always be her person, that one friend that will always mean the world to her no matter what.

"I'm going to fix this" Elena whispered softly. With that she took a deep breath and stood up, taking one last glance at the blonde girl working behind the counter. She was going to get her best friend back and fix all the mess she made…she was also going to answer Damon's call and pick up her car. She could do this, things were going to be okay.

On the way to her car she found the youngest Salvatore brother "How did it go?" Stefan said, motioning to the store "Damon said you might stop by because of the wedding cake"

"It went… well I think" Elena answered and grimaced a little bit. The cake thing went smoothly but it was the thing of her friendship with the blonde girl that was really concerning her.

"If she said that she hates you, don't believe her, she doesn't" Stefan told her with a small smile "It's been hard on her too, having you back and with the pregnancy her moods are beyond crazy so… whatever she said she didn't really mean it"

"She's pregnant?" Elena asked with surprise as she watched the most true and beautiful of smiles appear on Stefan's face.

"Yeah, two months" He answered with a twinkle in his eyes and the biggest of grins on his face and Elena couldn't help but smile back at him. It made her sad to know that she was missing such an important moment in these people's lives but it also made her incredibly happy to know that they had reached everything they once dreamed.

"Congratulations!" She said "That's great Stefan"

"Yeah it is" He answered and she couldn't help but wonder why the younger Salvatore didn't hate her. She had been a bitch to him as well, leaving him behind as she did everyone else. He had been her best friend once too.

"I should get back to the hotel" Elena said

"Oh yeah I was going to ask you, why are you staying there?" Stefan asked with a frown

"What do you mean? Where else would I be staying?"

"Your grandparents' house, up there in the farm" He said as if it was the most logical option

"Uhmm that house no longer belongs to my family Stefan" She looked at him with a confused expression

"Of course it does"

"No, my parent's sold it right after we moved out"

"What? No, the house still belongs to the Gilbert family, in fact Annie still works there, the house is as good as if someone lived there, your parents' sent her money monthly to keep it working" Stefan said and looked at her in a weird way, she guessed he thought it was strange for her not to know what had happened with the Gilbert property.

"Then I guess I'll go check on it" She whispered absently

"Yeah you should, it would save you a lot of money" He said with a smile

"Thanks Stefan" She answered and smiled back at him.

They parted ways and she walked the remaining steps to her car wondering why in the world her parents' had lied about the farm. They wanted to cut all ties with Mystic Falls too?

That place was such an important part of her childhood, she cried for an entire day when they told her it was sold out. And it was all a lie. With a deep breath she put on her glasses and entered the car, once more she was driving towards one of the places that saw the happiest moments of her life.

.

 _And I_

 _I'll be as patient as a boy_

 _In love could ever be_

 _And I_

 _I feel like I wasn't real_

 _Until you were a part of me_

* * *

 **REVIEW PLEASE? :D**


	7. How bittersweet this would taste?

**Hey guys!**

 **I'm glad to be back with you, I'm very exicited for you to read this chapter, I'm very happy with how it turned out and I really want you to read the next one because I think is one of my favorites.**

 **I've been watching the new episodes of TVD and honestly, they just got me all sad and depresssed so It's pretty amazing to get my Delena fix this way.**

 **Thanks a lot for reading this and thanks to Lorena for edting this chapter for me.**

 **Really hope you like it.**

* * *

 **SOMEONE LIKE YOU**

 _You know how the time flies_

 _Only yesterday was the time of our lives_

 _We were born and raised in a summer haze_

 _Bound by the surprise of our glory days_

 _I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited_

 _But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it._

 _I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded_

 _That for me it isn't over._

 **-ADELE-**

 **.**

Her heart filled with a nostalgia so intense that she physically felt her chest constricting with it. Her eyes danced around the old house that she got to know so well in her childhood days. She had no idea what she expected to find when Stefan told her about the property still being in her family, but here she was, staring at a place that looked exactly like she remembered, as if time had stopped in this particular piece of land.

Elena took a deep breath and with shaky hands opened the car door, she knew she couldn't take long since Jeremy needed the car back so it was better just to go with it, she started walking the path that would take her straight to the white Victorian house that belonged to her grandparents. Everyone always referred to it as the Gilbert Farm but Elena thought it was more of a plantation, long green land stretched behind the house with a few apple trees scattered around the place and an old worn out barn that saw some of the best moments of her life. This place had been her grandparent's sanctuary and her heart had broken into a million pieces when her parents told her they got rid of it.

Just as she was about to ring the bell, Elena saw a form appearing behind the grille, it was a woman she knew very well and tears formed in her eyes at the sight of her "Jenna?" Elena whispered in awe

"I was wondering how long it was going to take" The woman answered with a smile as she opened the gate so Elena could come in

"Oh my God" The moment it was open the brunette threw herself at her and hugged her with all the strength she had "I had no idea you were still here!"

Jenna smiled and returned the hug with just as much force as Elena "My mother still works here so I accompany her sometimes to keep her company" They broke apart and stared at each other with big smiles on their faces.

Jenna was Annie's daughter, the woman who had been the house keeper of this place for as long as Elena could remember, Jenna was a few years older than her and was in so many ways like the big sister she never had. They grew apart when Jenna went to college and never saw each other again after Elena left Mystic Falls.

"I had no idea…I thought this place wasn't ours anymore"

"What are you saying?" Jenna asked "Okay wait up, mom is going to be thrilled to see you, we knew you were back in town and we had been hoping that you'd decide to come by" She said smiling

Jenna led her inside where Elena hugged Annie and greeted the rest of the staff, who apparently kept this place exactly as it was when her grandparents were here, except nobody was living in this old house, the floors and windows were clean, the land was trimmed but it was like a ghost house, without anybody living in it. Annie informed Elena that her father sent her money monthly to pay for all of the expenses and the staff payment and Elena couldn't understand why their parents felt the need to lie to her and Jeremy yet at the same time go through all of that effort to maintain the house.

Annie prepared her cinnamon and apple tea and she sat on the porch with Jenna at her side while explaining why she hadn't appeared sooner, talking about life, the different paths their lives too: Jenna had been working for the local university, got married to her college boyfriend Logan and they had welcomed their first baby last year. And sitting there Elena couldn't help the feeling of rightness that came over her, like this was the exact place she was meant to be in, not thousands of miles away in San Francisco. Maybe that's why her parents had kept this place a secret, because they knew it would make her feel this way.

"So I think you and your friends should stop spending so much money on hotel expenses and come live here" Jenna said while sipping the last bit of her tea "God knows there's enough rooms in here and besides, this place could use some people, it feels so empty without someone actually living in it!"

"I guess you're right"

"So…" Jenna gave her a side way look as a smile appeared on her face "Have you seen him yet?"

"Oh please, like you don't know already" Elena huffed

"I was trying to be polite but you're right girl, small town, I know all about your encounters at the bar" Jenna said before laughing slightly

Elena rolled her eyes at the word "encounter" and looked at her with an annoyed expression "Don't you guys have something more interesting to gossip about?"

"Oh honey, you guys are like the Brangelina of this town. The minute you put a foot back in here we were all expecting for that moment to happen"

"That is ridiculous" Elena said while trying not to laugh, she couldn't deny that the reference was kind of funny "Besides I've always been more of a Jennifer fan"

Jenna threw her head back and laughed her ass off, Elena did as well, she had missed this, and it was like being in this town was lifting a big weight off her shoulders, one she didn't even know she was carrying. "So what happened?" Her friend pushed "You guys yelled at each other or ripped your clothes off?"

Elena couldn't help but blush remembering last night, God she had been such an idiot, throwing herself at him that way. "None of the above"

Jenna looked at her with a pensive look "Hard to believe. But tell me, are you taking him back?" She asked and Elena almost spit out her tea

"What are you talking about?" She looked at her friend with her eyes wide open

"Oh come on, Elena, you know he wants you back" Jenna said with a smile

Elena looked at her open mouthed. Did everyone in this town truly know what was happening between Damon and her? "You do know he broke up with me over a phone call right?" Every time she remembered that she felt her blood boiling and wanted nothing more than to go and yell at him for being such an insensitive ass.

"Sadly I know" The other woman said "It was a jerk thing to do, the most idiotic thing he could have done but Elena, I've seen that boy the last ten years, and he's been completely miserable, I just want a bit of happiness for him. So I'm rooting for the two of you"

"What makes you think that I'm the one who will make him happy?" Elena asked, trying to ignore the part where she said he was miserable without her, she didn't want to delve into those things because she knew it would end up with her getting her heart broken again.

"Oh honey, you're the only thing in this whole world that can make that boy happy again"

Elena stayed quiet and stared at the big expanse of land extending before her, her mind lost in past memories, in questions she couldn't answer, in the longing that was growing in her chest with every second. Could Jenna be right? Could they be happy again together or were the ghosts of their past too strong? She still resented him…for leaving her, for the last ten years of her life. Could she move past that?

"Well I'm glad that I put some things in your head for you to think about" Jenna said with a smile and Elena gave her a nasty look "But I gotta run, Jake will be up soon and he's at a stage where he just wants his mommy with him" Her eyes lit up when she talked about her little boy and Elena felt a little envious, she wanted that for herself too.

They hugged, exchanged numbers and promised to meet up at the bar later in the night; Elena didn't want to go back to that place again or drink alcohol ever again for that matter but Jenna had been insistent so she agreed. Then she was gone and Elena was left alone with her thoughts, wandering around the place like a ghost.

She felt like that sometimes, a ghost in her own life. Not that she had a bad one, her life was pretty amazing and that was one of the reasons why she felt so guilty when she had these kinds of thoughts. There were billions of people in the world who suffered from pain every day, who had the worst cards the world could throw at them and yet here she was feeling sorry for herself, but she couldn't stop feeling this way. Like she didn't belong, like she was meant to be someone else and to be somewhere else, and somehow being here now, surrounded by the trees her grandfather took good care of made her feel part of the world again, made her feel like she belonged somewhere.

Elena smiled softly and touched the old rusty wood of the barn, she lost her virginity here; among straw and dust she had lived the most extraordinary moment of her life at the age of sixteen. She walked in and felt her eyes watering in as she took a seat in the corner next to the entrance, when she closed her eyes she could still remember that moment with clarity.

It had been a cold October night, rain was soaking everything around, she and Damon had been fighting because his father was back in town and he refused to see him, Elena was trying to convince him that he should at least hear what he had to say but he had yelled and told her she had no right to mess with his life, then he had stormed out towards the barn and she followed him, she wanted to shake some sense into him and yell at him for being so cruel to her. But when she reached the place she found him crying, drenched like a street cat and crying his eyes out. He asked for forgiveness and told her he was scared- he didn't want to see his father, didn't want to hope for his comeback when he knew he would end up with his heart broken at the end.

Elena had kissed him and somehow they ended up sheading their dripping clothes and making love for the first time, right there, with her oblivious grandparents resting in the main house. It was the best night of her life, she still went back to that night, even now after so many years, it was a very bitter sweet feeling but she loved thinking about it.

"Oh God" Elena groaned before starting to cry freely, like she did when she was driving back to Mystic Falls "How is it possible that I still love him so much?" She asked herself. The tears wouldn't stop and she wanted to curl around herself right there and weep all day.

As if on cue with her memories, her cell phone beeped with a message and when she looked at the screen and saw his name she started to cry even harder _"Since you're not picking up my calls I should tell you…your car is ready. Feel free to come by and pick it up…"_ He attached the address of his shop and Elena tried to steady her racing heart.

She had to go… or she could send some of her friends. But that wouldn't be mature, right? She scrubbed her eyes to keep away the tears and took a deep breath, _STOP IT ELENA!_ She had to go and… and she kind of wanted to see him again.

"You really are a fucking masochist!" She muttered to herself "How many more forms of torture are you willing to endure?" She tried to convince herself not to go but she spoke too soon because she was quickly standing up and heading back towards the main house

* * *

He cleaned up the grease on his hands with the blue cloth and tossed it aside afterwards. He had been calling Elena nonstop all morning and he still got no answer, not even after his text. It was already close to three, Luke had left an hour ago and he was losing all hope of her showing up.

He craned his neck and opened up a lonely bottle of water resting in the fridge of the shop, the cool liquid going down his throat felt wonderful and helped him to calm down a bit. He knew he made the right choice when he didn't sleep with her last night, he wanted her back, yes, but when that happened he didn't want any doubts or misunderstandings between them. But of course he couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was his last shot at being with her, maybe she would avoid him for the rest of the week and then it would be over, she would be gone, back to the world she belongs to and he would be left empty again.

God, his head was such a mess right now!

He closed his eyes and started massaging his neck when he heard the click of a pair of heels against the concrete, his blue eyes opened immediately and he saw a vision walking towards him. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged her hips deviously and an off the shoulder pink top that contrasted beautifully with her skin, he swore nothing was ever as beautiful as she was.

"Uhmm" She said softly "I came here for the car"

God! This was the most unfair thing in the whole world, Elena thought to herself. He was dirty, there was grease on his forehead and under his chin, his hair was a mess and he was dressed with dark jeans and a grease stained, white shirt and yet he was the most handsome man she ever laid eyes on. In fact, that messy look he was wearing made him look even hotter! She felt all of her body parts tingling with just the sight of him.

"Yeah of course" He answered and moved from the corner where he was resting. "It's right here" He motioned for her to follow him and she was surprised at how big the place was, she could also see that there was a second floor.

He took her to the car and explained what was wrong with it, then proceeded to show her that it was already working perfectly. She looked at him, amazed at how fast he had managed to repair it. "Thank you so much Damon, really"

"No problem" He shrugged and she could see he was a little bit embarrassed but she couldn't understand why.

"How much do I owe you?"

"It's nothing"

"No way!" She protested "I'm paying you"

"No you're not, Elena" He said, looking at her straight in the eyes

"This is your job, Damon, you get paid for it, I am going to pay you" She told him and was one minute away from stomping her foot. Of course she wasn't going to let him do this for free, especially not with their story.

"I am not taking your money, Lainey" He said in a soft voice and she felt her legs turning into jelly at the sound of her nickname coming out of his lips.

"But Damon-"

"You want to pay me?" He asked

"Of course"

"Have dinner with me" He whispered huskily and goosebumps appeared all over her skin at the mere thought.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Damon" It was a terrible idea, she knew that. Dinner was too intimate, it was something couples did, and no matter where they went in Mystic Falls people would see them and would think the wrong thing. There was too much of a risk.

"I think it's the best idea I've had in ten years" He answered with a grin and she couldn't help but smile at him. His happiness was contagious and she could feel it emanating out of him strongly, he was confident that she was going to say yes. "Come on, Lainey, for old times' sake"

 _Old times' sake?_! Was he fucking kidding?! After he broke up with her over a God damn phone call?! After all this dinner might not be a bad idea, she could finally ask him why in the world he abandoned her in such a cruel way. And that way she would be able to move on and forget about him forever. _Yeah, right._

"Okay fine"

"Tonight" His blue eyes were tinkling and she felt her heart melting at the sight. Damn, Damon Salvatore really did a number on her; he had so much power over her that it was crazy.

"I can't, I promised Jenna I would go with her to the bar" She answered and he only shrugged

"We'll have dinner and then I'll take you to the bar"

"Okay then"

"Since I have no idea how you're planning to take back two cars right now" He said and Elena wanted to smack herself, she hadn't thought about that when she decided to come here, she should have brought some of her friends with her. "Why don't you take the car you came in and I'll pick you up in yours, that way you can drive it back or we can even drive separately to the bar…if you want" He told her even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

He wanted to be with her every fucking minute of the day, to hold her tightly and never let go. Every second that passed by he was consumed with a fear of losing her again, he didn't care anymore, it didn't matter if he wasn't good enough… he couldn't let her go away, it would destroy him.

"I think that's a great idea" She answered and looked at him under her lashes. Was she flirting? He couldn't tell. For a minute it had seemed like she was and then she completely retracted from him"Okay then… I guess I'll see you tonight"

"Yes, you will" He smiled at her and walked back towards her car.

"This is great, Damon" She said while standing next to her car and looking at the front of his shop "You did well"

He couldn't help the surge of pride and happiness in his heart at the sound of her words. She was proud of him, he could see it in the way she was looking at him and he wanted nothing more than to make her proud of him again.

"Thank you, Lainey" He told her and took a strand of her hair and placed it behind her ear "I'll see you tonight" He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

A kiss she could still feel tingling on her skin hours after.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it was mind blowing!" Meredith exclaimed before dropping herself onto the bed next to her friends.

"Ugh come on" Kol said from his place on the couch, while Elena and Bonnie only giggled.

"I even forgot about my plan of kicking Damon's ass, the minute he put his hands on me it was like I was an instrument and he knew exactly how to play me" She said dreamily.

"Ok, I'm out of here" Kol stood up and started walking towards the door

"We didn't want you here anyway!" Meredith yelled as he left the room and the girls laughed hysterically

"So he really impressed you" Bonnie stated while looking at her best friend.

"He did…and not just with the sex but…we have so much in common, you know" She closed her eyes and a smile appeared on her face "It had been so long since I met a guy with whom I could talk to so easily"

Elena smiled while looking at her best friend but at the same time she felt kind of scared for her, the way Meredith was talking about Ric was something she hadn't seen in a while, she didn't want her friend to get too involved, and after all they would be leaving in just a few days.

"And he's into all of that supernatural stuff" Meredith said while looking at her friends "You know I love all of that, since I was a child watching goosebumps to the older version of me watching Supernatural"

"So I guess you've met your match" Bonnie told her with a smile

"I think I may have" Meredith said with a pensive look and Elena knew that she was coming to the same conclusion as her; they were leaving in a few days.

"What about you, Elena?" Bonnie turned her attention back to her other friend "What the hell happened between you and Damon last night? Why did he bring you back to the hotel?"

"He did what?" Meredith exclaimed while sitting up and looking at her friend with wide eyes

"Yeah I was kind of… a bit too much drunk and he saw me throwing up in the back and then brought me here" Both of her friends scrunched their noses at the vomit part

"And?" Meredith asked with a raised eye brow

"Nothing" Elena took a deep breath and casted her eyes down, fidgeting with a strand of fabric on her quilt covering her legs "I tried to sleep with him and he didn't want to"

"What?! Why?!" Bonnie asked

"He said I was too drunk… that he didn't want to take advantage of me"

"Uhmm" Meredith whispered while looking at her with a pensive look "That kind of gives him points… just like those biceps and blue, blue eyes did" Elena looked at her with a raised eye brow "What? He's even hotter than those pictures you showed us, can't blame you for crying over him for the last ten years" Elena gave her a nasty look while Bonnie tried her best not to laugh.

"I'm going to have dinner with him tonight" Elena confessed

"What!?" Both of her friends yelled in unison "Are you out of your mind?" Meredith asked "Hooking up is one thing but going on a date?"

"It's not a date"

"It is a date" Bonnie said

"You're walking on dangerous ground there, Lena" Meredith told her

"I know but- It's just something I need to do" They both looked at her sympathetically. "Since I've been here I've realized that the last ten years have been like this big chunk of my life was missing. This town…Damon, Caroline, my old friends… I don't know how I've lived so long without all of it"

"I think you might make me tear up a little bit" Bonnie whispered while smiling at her

"Everything's going to be okay Lena, you'll get your friend back, and figure out what the hell your heart wants concerning Damon…and you even got your grandparents' house back"

Elena smiled while thinking about it, she was indeed very happy because of it, and she owed it all to Stefan. They were leaving the hotel tomorrow morning and moving to the house, Jeremy had been ecstatic when she told him about it, he loved that place just as much as she did and he couldn't wait to show it to Anna.

Meredith was right, she could do this. Tomorrow she would go see Caroline again for the cake samples and she would try to make things right, it wouldn't be easy but she really wanted her old best friend back and would try with all of her strength to win her forgiveness.

And Damon… well he was something else. But she would figure out where they were standing tonight. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, it was really going to be a long night.

.

 _Never mind, I'll find someone like you_

 _I wish nothing but the best for you too_

 _Don't forget me, I beg_

 _I'll remember you said,_

 _"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead"_

* * *

 ** _Review please?_**


	8. I'm sorry for breaking your heart

**Hi!**

 **Pretty quick this time right?**

 **Hope you're all doing great and enjoying the story, I've been writting to get me out of my Delena funk so I hope this story is doing the same for you. I'm pretty excited about this chapter, I really want to know what you think of it so please leave a review, I always love reading what you have to say.**

 **Thanks a lot to Lorena who corrects this thing for me even when she's super busy, you're an angel!**

 **And thanks to all of you!**

* * *

 **Hello**

 _Hello, can you hear me?_

 _I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be_

 _When we were younger and free_

 _I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet_

 _There's such a difference between us_

 _And a million miles_

 **-Adele-**

 **.**

Elena contemplated the clothes piled up on her bed and scrunched her nose up, there was nothing that convinced her, she wanted to look pretty but without looking like she had tried too hard. She had banned her friends from her hotel room because they were making her feel even more nervous and the last thing she needed right now was to add more stress, with dread in the pit of her stomach she had more than enough.

God, she had no idea what to expect from tonight, if you had told her a month ago that she would be getting ready for a date with Damon Salvatore she would have started laughing…and then probably crying. But here she was, feeling so much like the fifteen year old girl dying with excitement and nerves when he picked her up for their first school dance together.

Elena huffed and decided for a light champagne colored summer dress, it had spaghetti straps and the skirt flowed beautifully above her knees. She curled her hair slightly and applied just a little bit of makeup, she didn't want to look like a clown either. She put on a pair of gold sandals and looked at herself in the mirror, Elena wasn't blind, she knew she was pretty but right now she felt like the most gorgeous girl on the planet and she knew it had nothing to do with the clothes she was wearing, it was all about the spark in her eyes and the way her cheeks were already starting to flush, she was happy, truly happy for the first time in almost ten years.

The beeping of her phone brought her back to reality and she picked it up to see a text from Damon telling her he was already waiting in the lobby, a missed call from the caterer, who she would have to call tomorrow morning and a bunch of missed calls from her mom, who she wasn't planning on calling back.

Elena took a deep breath, grabbed her purse and left the hotel room. She didn't even let her friends know she was leaving, they would follow her to the lobby and she didn't want that, so she would text them when she was already in Damon's car.

Damon paced nervously around the lobby, his palms were sweating and his legs were starting to quiver a little bit. He laughed under his breath, he was a thirty year old man but right now he felt like that seventeen year old boy who picked her up for their first school dance together. It was truly amazing how many emotions that woman could evoke from him.

He felt her coming, it was as if he was attuned to her, all the hairs on his body stood up and goose bumps appeared on his skin. He turned around and noticed her walking towards him with a nervous smile on her face. God, he loved that smile. She looked absolutely stunning, he knew that there were probably women more beautiful than her but for him she was perfect, she was the most beautiful creature he ever laid eyes on and there would never be another like her.

"You took my breath away" He whispered in a raspy voice when she was standing right in front of him. She only laughed and fidgeted with her purse in response.

"You look pretty good too" She stated honestly. And it was absolutely the truth, he was wearing dark dress pants that hugged his ass marvelously and a dark blue long sleeved shirt that made his skin paler and his eyes bluer, he was truly a vision. It always amazed Elena, to realize how handsome he was, how sexy, she would never get tired of looking at him.

He smiled at her and wanted to take her hand but decided against it, he knew he was walking on eggshells tonight and didn't want to push things too much "Come on, the car's outside"

They walked together in silence and he opened the door for her to enter the car, Elena couldn't help the feeling of comfort that overwhelmed her again at being inside his Camaro, it was something so familiar to her, somehow she felt more at ease here than in her own car back in San Francisco.

"So, where are we going?" Elena asked once Damon was inside the car and driving towards wherever they were going

"I was planning on taking you to a fancy restaurant but decided against it" He answered honestly

"Why?" Elena asked with a slight smile on her face. She was grateful he didn't take her there, she wasn't in the mood for big fancy restaurants, she wanted something more intimate.

"First of all, I wouldn't be able to have you all to myself" He said and Elena's body quivered with the sound of his voice "Second of all, we would have all of Mystic Falls talking about us in the time that it would take us to order our entrée" Elena laughed out loud at his comment and he did the same

"That is true" She said

"And third, I wouldn't be able to show off in front of you how much of an amazing cook I am" He gave her a crocked grin and winked. "So we're going to my apartment, right above the shop"

"Wait… you live above your shop? I thought you were still living in your old house" She asked while trying to keep her mind occupied. His apartment! He was taking her to his apartment, did that mean he was expecting something to happen between them tonight? "No, hold on, more importantly, you can cook? You used to burn water!"

He laughed out loud, a throaty sound that went straight to every nerve ending in Elena's body "I've learned a lot in ten years, Lainey, trust me I'm going to surprise you" They stopped on a red light and he looked at her intently, doing that eye thing that always drove her crazy with lust "And yes I live above the shop, works for me. And the house is Stefan's now, he and Caroline are starting a family and they needed a place like that, besides we made a deal he gets the house and I get the bar" He grinned at her "If you ask me, I think I got the better end of the deal"

"Yeah, I think you did" She smiled at him as the red light turned green and they started moving again "So wow, two successful businesses Damon, that's awesome, you must be so proud of yourself"

He shrugged "It's probably not something like the things you've accomplished or the things you're used to but it's pretty good, more than what I thought I would get"

Elena could see that this subject made him uncomfortable and she didn't like that one bit, she hated the way he spoke about himself, diminishing his achievements "Well I'm proud of you. I always knew you were meant for great things Damon and seeing your life now definitely proves it."

He blinked in astonishment at hearing her words, couldn't hide the look on his face, the fact that she thought that high of him made him feel strange things, things he had never felt before. And it gave him hope, hope that he could somehow fix the mess he created and win her back. He wasn't giving up so easily, not this time.

"So, your friend made a big impression on my friend" He changed the subject, not wanting to be on the spotlight anymore.

She smiled widely and looked at him "And he made a big impression on her as well, I swear I have no idea how it is that they got off so easily."

"Trust me, I have no idea. Ric is a really reserved person, I was truly surprised that he went home with her"

"Well I hope he's nice to her, I don't want her getting hurt"

"Trust me, I think it'll be more likely that she hurts him" Damon said while rolling his eyes "Ric is like this gigantic Teddy bear who likes bourbon a little bit too much" Elena laughed and they continued the rest of the ride in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable, it was as if they were just enjoying the quietness of being together.

They entered his apartment through a staircase located in the back, so they wouldn't have to open the front of his shop to the apartment. The place was exactly like Elena expected it to be, not too crowded, dark wood furniture and yellow light that made the place look incredible cozy. It was a bachelor pad in every sense of the word but it had that classic style that Damon loved so much.

Elena wouldn't be surprise if his bedroom had a big king sized bed and an even bigger headboard. "Why am I thinking about his bed?" Elena thought to herself while she tried to calm her racing heart.

"It's very beautiful here" Elena murmured and Damon smiled at her "And it smells even better" Elena said while closing her eyes and inhaling the marvelous smell of food around her

"Thanks" He gently took her purse out of her hands and placed it on his couch, then took her hand and led her towards the small balcony located in front of his living room.

"Wow it's really nice in here" Elena said without releasing her hand from his clasp, in front of her stood the lights of the little small town that saw her grow up and she felt a sense of calm invade her.

"It's not the view from the Golden Gate but I think we can almost topple them" He smirked at her and led her towards the table placed strategically in the center of the small balcony

"Yes, I believe you can" She said softly and smiled at him when he pulled out the chair so she could sit. The table had a white lace cloth on top and a set of candles were placed in the center of the table, she didn't need a fancy restaurant, she had more than enough right here.

"Just wait here, I'll go get our food" He walked back inside and Elena took a deep breath, it was so strange to be here with him right now but at the same time it felt like the most right thing in the world for her. And to think that she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the wedding…which was in five days…and then she'd be gone again. A sense of dread invaded her body, just like it did ten years ago when she was driving with her parents towards the airport that would take her away from Mystic Falls for good.

"I really hope you like it, I busted my ass in the kitchen all afternoon" Damon interrupted her thoughts when he entered the balcony with plates that smelled just like heaven.

"It looks delicious Damon, what is it?"

"Chicken parmigiana with baked potato wedges" He placed the food on the table and went back inside to retrieve a bottle of cabernet sauvignon.

"Damn, you're really spoiling me tonight" She said while he poured the wine in her glass "I seriously cannot believe you cooked this" She told him while she looked at the plate in front of her

"Ouch, I'll try not to feel too hurt" Damon told her while taking his seat in front of her

"You can't believe for thinking it, you used be a complete zero in the kitchen" She took a sip of her wine and almost moaned at the taste of the cool liquid going down her throat.

"And just wait until you see dessert" He winked at her and her cheeks flushed

Their eyes locked for a moment and a million of things passed through them. For just one second, sitting there in front of each other, they were transported to a place very far away, somewhere where they were two teenagers in love with their whole lives ahead of them and a million of dreams to reach. Together.

Elena cleared her throat, the air around them suddenly too charged with nostalgia, regret and pain. She wanted things to be easy again "You did all of this just this afternoon?" She asked with a raised eye brow

"I may have bought all the things in the morning" He shrugged "I was keeping my hopes up that you would accept to coming"

Elena smiled and shook her head lightly before taking the first bite of her food "Oh God Damon, this is really good!" Elena said with her eyes closed "It's the best thing I've had in a long time"

"Really?" He asked hopefully and she smiled, happy that things were becoming lighter again.

"Yes, it's just delicious" She moaned and the sound went straight to Damon's crotch. "I truly cannot believe you made this"

"You really are trying to hurt my feelings tonight" He told her and she winked at him.

"So tell me, how's life in San Francisco?"

"It's pretty amazing, a lot more hectic than here but not as much like New York" Elena answered between bites of her food

"You work a lot?" Damon asked while looking intently at her

"Yes, my friends always say I work a little too much" She winced "But I like to be busy" It stopped her from thinking too much but she didn't tell him that.

"And what about your parents? Are they still as charming as ever?" He joked and Elena couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Believe it or not, they became soft with time" Elena said "Or maybe it's because I don't see them as often as before" She snickered a little "They're currently traveling around Europe but will be here for the wedding"

For some reason the idea of having her parents back here in Mystic Falls was an idea she didn't like. They didn't seem to fit in this idyllic place, in this part of her life she loved so much.

The night continued flowing easily between them, with the wine and the good food, they laughed and joked and remembered old times. When it was time for dessert Elena swore that nothing would ever compare to Damon's chocolate fudge, despite having been to so many restaurants in her life. The night turned chilly and goosebumps appeared on Elena's skin but she could no longer tell if it was from the cold of the night or the wine or maybe simply for the fact that she was here with him and he always had a way of making her body sing. There in the starry night, under the dark blue sky she realized how much she had longed for this, for this moment with this man.

How every night in the loneliness of her apartment she dreamed of this exact moment. But he never gave them a chance, he ended things before they could reach this exact moment. And that's when Elena started to get mad, without realizing it she had somehow turned into that eighteen year old girl again, hurt and mad because he had been so cruel as to end their love over a phone call, thousands of miles away from each other.

"Why did you do it?" She asked suddenly, he was telling her about a time he and Stefan went surfing in Florida and she realized she had never been to the beach with him. She realized he had done millions of things without her in the span of ten years, he left her behind and she hated him for it.

Damon gave her a questioning look "Went surfing?"

"No, you idiot! Why did you leave me?" The hurt in her voice was evident and he felt his heart shrinking at the sound.

"Elena…maybe right now isn't the time-"

"Really? And when will the time be?" She sat straighter on her chair and stared at him "I want answers, Damon…you just- over a fucking phone call Damon, seriously?! Didn't I deserve more than that?!"

He cringed at her words. That phone call had been the one mistake that kept haunting him even now "Because if I didn't do it over the phone I wouldn't be able to do it at all" His voice was a soft whisper and Elena felt a lump in her throat at hearing his words.

"Why did you have to do it at all?" Her voice was broken and she could feel her eyes starting to water. But she fought against the tears, she sure as hell wasn't going to cry in front of him "I loved you Damon, with all my heart and I was sure- I was so sure that you loved me-"

"I did Elena, I do" He said, trying not to panic too much at her use of the past tense when she referred to loving him "Don't you ever doubt that, you're still the best thing that's ever happened to me and that's why I had to let you go. It was the right thing to do. I wouldn't have-"

"The right thing to do?!" She screamed and stood up, her chair moved backwards and the sound of the wood against the concrete floor echoed in the balcony "I've been miserable over the last ten years Damon" For a moment she couldn't believe the words that had left her mouth, she was horrified but at the same time she felt liberated, it was so great finally being able to say those words out loud and once she started she couldn't stop "You have no idea how many times I've wished you were there with me"

"Elena, please-"He stood up and went towards her but she stopped him by raising her hand in the air

"Don't, just don't" She sniffed and closed her eyes. Fucking tears "Do you know what I did the first time I slept with someone else? I cried Damon…I cried the entire night because he wasn't you" She looked at him and knew that her words were hurting him but she didn't care, she was hurting too and wanted him to suffer with her "I've reached so many things, I have everything I ever dreamed of but I feel empty inside. You left a hole so big that nothing is able to fill it. And I tried to hate you, Damon, I tried to move on but I couldn't…I just couldn't"

"Elena, just stop for a second, hear me out just for one moment" He walked closer to her and this time she didn't stop him "I've never regretted anything in my life like I regret making that call… but I was young and stupid and very confused" She shook her head, not wanting to hear any more of the crap coming out of his mouth. He stopped talking, instead took her into his arms and let her cry freely into his chest.

Letting her drain everything she had inside her, every moment of pain and loss she felt over the last ten years, and he was there with her, suffering through the same things because he had been miserable too. He never could get over her.

The ringing of her phone brought her back to the present and even though he insisted on letting it ring she answered, it was Jenna telling her she was already waiting in the bar. Elena cursed mentally and hung up the phone.

"I've got to go" She said to Damon while cleaning the running mascara under her eyes, she would have to redo her makeup in the car since she didn't want any of her friends to know that she had been crying.

"No Elena, we still have a lot of things to discuss" He told her

"I'm sorry, Damon, but Jenna is waiting for me"

He knew her words were final, he saw her in the way she stuck up her chin and her eyes darkened; the moment for weakness was gone. "At least let me drive you"

"No, I'm going on my own" She entered the living room and went to retrieve her purse.

"Fine, but I'm going as well" He closed the balcony door and followed her.

He would make sure to clean everything up later.

"As you wish" She said and exited his apartment with him trailing behind her.

Things got out of control, but he was not letting this night end this way. She was going to listen to every word he had to say.

* * *

"Okay, I think it's time you stop drinking" Jenna said to Elena while removing the bottle of whiskey she had in front of her "You don't even like whiskey"

"Oh come on, it's not like I'm drunk" She whined

"No, but you will be soon if you keep that up" Jenna reprimanded her

"I'm sorry, Jenna, this was supposed to be our night and I'm ruining it all" Elena closed her eyes and rubbed her temples "I'm such a mess"

"Don't worry about it, sweetie" Jenna took her hand and squeezed lightly "We've all been there" Elena smiled softly at her "Now tell me what the hell happened between the two of you"

"Nothing did"

"Nothing my ass. You're here wanting to drink your weight in alcohol and he's over there looking at you like a lost puppy" Jena pointed out "So yeah something happened"

Damon couldn't take this any longer, he was miserable, she was miserable. They could at least be miserable together. Enough of this shit, he was going to make things right, he couldn't keep wasting any more time.

He went straight to the jukebox and inserted a couple of coins, then selected the song he wanted. When the soft tune started to sound he saw her head lifting, she remembered. This was his favorite song back in the days and they danced to it once, next to the lake under the shinning moon, with no one else but each other as witness of their love.

 _One grinning wink like the neon on a liquor store  
We were sixteen, maybe less, maybe a little more_

Elena drowned another glass of whiskey and tried to block the sound of the music. Then she felt him, he was standing right beside her "Go away Damon"

He leaned towards her "Dance with me" He whispered into her ear and she felt like crying once again. "Please" She nodded and he took her hand under the surprised eyes of Jenna.

He led her to the back of the bar next to the juke box and took her into his arms. The soft music was like a lullaby and as they swayed to the tune she felt something inside of her breaking and regenerating all over again.

He smelled like leather with a hint of something sweet and it was so familiar to her that she knew without a doubt that she was exactly where she was meant to be. She heard him humming softly to the sound of the music and smiled slightly before burying her face in his neck. She knew what they probably looked like right now but she couldn't care less.

 _Call it predictable, yesterday my dream was of you_

Damon lifted his gaze and saw that almost every person in the bar was staring at them, people in this town knew them since they were babies and had seen their love evolving through time and now he could see the hope in their faces, hope for that love that he let go so many years ago. He closed his eyes and pressed her closer to him. How he missed her, he had been so incomplete without her this last decade.

 _Between the trees and the pond, you put your hand in mine  
Said, "Time has bridled us both, but I remember you too"_

They were supposed to get married and have kids, a family, they would grow old together. Dreams and promises made under starry skies and sunny mornings, the dreams of two teenagers completely in love. Promises he never fulfilled.

"I've never been able to stop thinking about you" He whispered into her ear and she clutched him more tightly. "You're the only woman I've ever loved, Elena" She closed her eyes to stop the tears. How much time had been wasted? How much pain and loneliness? How many dreams broken? "Please, forgive me" The song was coming to an end and somehow he felt their together was ending as well. "I love you, I still love you and I will love you until I take my last breath on this earth"

"Damon-" She looked up at him, her doe eyes staring straight into his soul "I- I-" There were so many things she wanted to say but she couldn't, she just couldn't "I'm sorry" The song ended and she hurried out of the bar, leaving him there standing alone under the stare of everyone around him.

Fucking hell.

He ran after her.

He was not letting her go this time.

.

 _I hope that you're well_

 _Did you ever make it out of that town where nothing ever happened?_

 _It's no secret that the both of us_

 _Are running out of time_


	9. Forgive and forget

**Hey Guys!**

 **I'm here with a new chapter and I'm actually pretty excited, I really want you to love it and to read your opinions, so even if you end up hating it please leave me a review.**

 **I might take a while in updating the next chapter because I'll be a little busy with school (I'm four weeks away of finishing college, yay!) and Lorena who is the amazing beta of this story is been a little busy as well but do not panic, I always finish my story and I will have another chapter before Christmas (just joking It won't take that long I promise) anyway enough with the talk.**

 **Here we go!**

* * *

 **It's all coming back to me**

 _But if I touch you like this_

 _And if you kiss me like that_

 _It was so long ago_

 _But it's all coming back to me_

 _If you touch me like this_

 _And if I kiss you like that_

 _It was gone with the wind_

 _But it's all coming back to me_

 **Celine Dion**

 **.**

Have you ever felt an ache so strong in your heart that it literally makes your body start hurting too? The most skeptic people believe that the heart is just a muscle and nothing more, that every emotion you feel comes straight from your brain. Her father was always one of those people, speaking facts and being the most clinical towards things, but she wasn't. She always knew her father was wrong, especially in these occasions, when her brain was telling her to go straight back to her hotel and sleep off everything that was bothering her but her heart was leading her to that old house that meant so much to her.

Elena was pressing her foot on the gas pedal as tears ran down her face, she truly had cried more these past few days than she had in her entire life time. A ball of emotion was about to burst from inside her and Elena knew she wouldn't be able to hold It up much longer, it was going to barrel down and break all of the walls she built.

Once she was there she parked hastily and searched for her purse for the keys Jenna gave her that morning. The house was completely dark and stood imposing before her and maybe in another moment she would have been scared of going there alone but not right now. At this moment adrenaline was rushing through her veins and she wanted nothing more than to break down where nobody could hear her, and this place made her feel safe, it always did.

It had been a night of too many emotions, having dinner with Damon, confronting him about the past… dancing with him, like they did so many times in the past, it was probably much more than she was ready for.

Elena opened the gate and was about to lock it behind her when a hand stopped her "Don't" Her eyes widened when she saw his face in front of her, she looked past him and saw his Camaro parked next to her. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard him coming.

"What do you want Damon?" She asked him once she recovered from the shock

"I want you to hear me out" He said calmly while removing her hand from the gate and opening it wide enough to be able to pass.

"I think we've done enough talking for the day" Elena answered and turned around, walking towards the house. If he wanted to stay then fine, that didn't mean she was going to talk to him.

Damon huffed and closed the gate behind him "Are you serious? You demand answers from me but then you just walk away!" He shouted and she stopped in her tracks.

 _He was offended? He wanted her to hear him out? Was he fucking insane?_

Elena turned around and the fire in her eyes burned in every part of her body "You think you have the right to ask anything from me Damon? Are you fucking kidding me?! After everything?" She threw her hands in the air out of frustration and started walking towards the house once again.

The strength of her steps moving the gravel around her, the sound was the only thing hearable in the darkness of the night. _How dare he? He had absolutely no right, she wanted to be alone and he was not going to ruin that for he!_

"I think you're scared!" He shouted and Elena cursed him mentally, she had finally reached the porch, she was going inside that house and he would have to stay here in the hot summer night because she was not letting him inside. "I think the fact that our love is still intact scares you" His voice was closer now and Elena couldn't help but stand frozen at his words, her feet in the last steps of the porch. "I think it scares you how much you love me" She closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists as she walked the next step and started to unlock the door "I think you're scared because you believe I will hurt you again" He whispered next to her ear now, he was standing right behind her. She could feel the weight of his body and every nerve in her body came alive.

"And wouldn't you?" Her voice was barely an audible whisper. The anger and frustration had drained all of the energy from her body.

"No I wouldn't, never again" His voice made her heart clench and the smell of grass and dirt in the air transported her to a night many years ago, in this same porch, the first time he told her he loved her. "I love you" He placed his hands at her waist and pressed his face into her hair "You're my girl Elena, you took my heart since the first moment I met you, I always knew you were going to be the only one for me"

"I don't believe you" She said in a broken whisper

"I know it's my fault and I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to you" The hold in her waist grew stronger as he spun her around so she was now facing him "But I need you to give me another chance, I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering what if, I want to take the risk… the last ten years I've…I've been hollow Elena, I did what I thought was right at the moment and it has been the most stupid mistake of my life, I can't do the same mistake twice"

"Damon I-"

"I can't let you go again" He told her before pressing his lips into hers and it felt just like the first time. There was something different about this kiss from the others they had since her return. Maybe it was because things were finally turning clearer between them or maybe it was because they were in a place that saw so many of their moments together but whatever was the reason it felt right, the most right thing in their lives.

His body moved even closer to hers and she felt every nerve ending coming alive, something that was asleep for so long was finally waking up. She fisted her hands in his shirt and tried to get closer to him, he moaned into her mouth and pressed against the still closed door behind her. "I want you" Elena whispered in the darkness of the night "Don't deny me again" As if he was giving her her answer his mouth went to her neck to suck on the soft skin there, she closed her eyes and threw her head back.

Damon lifted his head and cupped her face with his hands, looking straight into her eyes "No regrets Elena, I don't want you waking up in the morning and wishing tonight never happened" The vulnerability in his blue eyes made her want to cry but she had done enough of that tonight.

"No regrets Damon, tonight is just you and me… let's just leave everything behind" She couldn't deny that a big part of her had hoped for this outcome tonight but after the disaster of their dinner she had wanted nothing more than a moment of solitude and yet here she was in his arms once again.

All the roads always led to him.

He opened the door and pushed her inside, the minute the door closed behind them he pressed against it once again. The house was pitch black but neither of them cared, they didn't need the light, they just needed each other.

"Damon-"She moaned when he roughly pushed the top of her dress down and attached himself to one of her bra clad breasts. He had missed this, he missed this more than anything in the world, the feel of her skin under his mouth. He undid the clasp on the back and the fabric fell effortlessly to the floor.

"You are so perfect" He whispered before dragging his tongue along the length of her nipple "always so perfect" Elena moaned and gripped his hair with her hands, the soft texture of it was something she missed so much.

"Damon please" He brought his face back at level with hers and kissed her again as he lifted her and made her wrap her legs around his waist, the feel of her soft parts against his hard stomach almost made her collapse right there.

He couldn't see much without the light but he remembered this place like if it was his own so he carried her towards the living room "I've dreamed about this moment so many times in the past, only to wake up and realize you weren't really there" He told her as he placed her back on her feet "I've needed you so much over the last ten years"

"I needed you more" She told him as she kissed him again. She couldn't get enough of his kisses, she wanted all of him. She saw the silhouette of a couch among the shadows and pushed him towards it "I really think we should find the light" She joked as he fell onto the couch

"Later, I have more important things to do now" He brought her towards him and she fell on top of him, straddling him. Her body pressed right against his, he hissed at the contact "You're killing me here" He panted as she started to move her hips in circular motions, clothes became such an abhorrent thing at the moment, he wanted nothing between them. "Enough teasing my love" He switched positions and lay her down onto the couch as he hovered above her.

"You're taking too long" Elena whispered as her hands went to work on the claps of his belt "I can't wait anymore" She opened up his pants and started lowering the zipper as he searched for a condom in his wallet

"I- fuck I don't- I don't have protection" He muttered as he remembered giving his emergency condom to Alaric at the bar tonight. That fucking teacher!

"It's okay I trust you, do you trust me?" Elena stroked his cheek and he closed his eyes at the sensation. Of course he trusted her.

"You know I do, and I can promise you I'm clean but are you sure about this?" He didn't want her regretting things in the morning and while he never had sex without a condom before this was Elena, he trusted her blindly.

"I'm sure" She told him. She never did things like that and she knew she was probably being stupid but she didn't care, she was on the pill and knew Damon would always take care of her and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of her, without anything between them.

"Okay" He kissed her forehead and proceeded to remove her dress which was currently bunched around her waist.

And just like that they were removing each other clothes, touching places they never thought would be able to touch again, remembering what it was to feel each other's skin. Elena hated the fact that there wasn't enough light because she wanted to see his face, but the light of the moon entering the window was enough to show her his blue eyes and the love shinning in them, the desire, the passion, her body was burning and he was burning alongside her.

When he finally pushed inside her they both gasped and clung to each other, they were complete again, after so many years. Her hands gripped his ass as he started to move inside her, his mouth was sucking and nibbling the skin on her neck as his hands worked wonders on her breasts. "I love you" Elena heard herself say, she couldn't help it, the words were right there at the tip of her tongue.

He lifted his head from her neck and looked straight into her eyes "I love you too, always have and I always will" He pressed a soft kiss onto her lips and went even deeper inside her.

They were a mess of tangled limbs, sweat and shredded clothes in the living room couch, sweet words being whispered in the darkness of the night, promises made in the spur of the moment, two people loving each other after so many years, two teenagers being reunited, broken dreams being repaired.

There in her grandparent's old house she gave herself to him again completely, all of her. And he did the same in return. When they both reached their climax they knew that they were finally home again.

He wasn't letting go of her again and she didn't want him to let her go. There in his arms she finally accepted that this was where she was supposed to be, no matter everything that happened between them, all the pain, the anger, the hurt, Damon gave her the one thing no one else could, the promise that love could be eternal, he was her home and she was ready to come back to it.

* * *

Elena shifted uncomfortably, her neck hurt from the position she was in, she had finally managed to open her eyes and was a bit confused at the beginning until she felt the strong body curled around her from behind.

She looked to the window and saw that it was still dark outside but signs of the morning could be seen already, the sun was coming out soon. She looked down at the arm placed securely around her waist and a smile spread on her face, it was wonderful, being in his arms once again was everything she had been dreaming about.

"Hmm" Damon's face buried in her neck and he placed a soft kiss there

"Damon?"

"Yeah?" He secured his arms around her and she thought briefly that his arm was probably numb from her sleeping on it.

"I think we should get up" She whispered, she had no idea why she was whispering but it felt like the right thing to do.

"Why?" He grumbled and moved his legs so she was now trapped between them.

She smiled in spite of herself and started caressing the arm that was around her "Because the staff could be here any minute. I have no idea under what schedule they work and the last thing I want is for Annie to walk in here and find us both naked on the couch"

"Uhmm" He grumbled once more while inhaling her scent "I think you might be right" he breathed deeply and detangled himself from her body.

Elena sat straight on the couch and stretched her body, she was sore all over but it felt amazing, like all of her muscles were aching but relaxed at the same time, it was such a weird feeling. Damon watched her and felt himself getting hard again, she was so beautiful, her naked form, illuminated by the few rays of sun starting to enter from the window was probably the most amazing sight he saw in the last ten years.

"I could make you breakfast" He offered

"I think it's too early for breakfast and I have no idea if they have food in here" Elena said while putting on her underwear

"It's never too early for breakfast" Damon said while putting on his pants "And I'm sure this place is full of food, I bet Annie filled that fridge the minute you put a foot in Mystic Falls"

Elena laughed softly because knowing the woman it was a pretty good possibility. "Okay fine, make me breakfast" She told him. He kissed her forehead and walked towards the kitchen. Elena watched him leave with a smile on her face, there was no doubt that he knew this house just as well as she did. She was about to put on her dress when she saw his dark blue shirt still laying on the floor, he went to the kitchen shirtless. Elena took the garment and inhaled, there was something so unique about his scent, it wasn't cologne or even soap it was something that was just him and she had always loved that scent, sometimes when she was alone at night she would conjure it back to her, but she never could remember it right.

She threw her dress back on the couch and put on his shirt instead, she wanted to be surrounded by him today. She needed it. With a smile on her face and feeling way better than yesterday she headed towards the kitchen.

It turned out that Damon was right, Annie had stocked the kitchen as if someone was actually living there, Elena guessed that now someone was, her friends and Jeremy would be coming today to stay here until the wedding, this house was finally going to have life again.

Damon made her pancakes, scrambled eggs and toast in record time and Elena marveled at how at ease he was in the kitchen, so different from the guy she used to know, the one who couldn't even boil water correctly. Many things changed since the last time they were together.

They ate and talked, reminiscing about old times, they kissed and joked around. Like all the time they spent separated had vanished and they were just where they left everything up. For a moment Elena let herself pretend she was eighteen years again, that she was on break from college and visiting home, this was exactly what she dreamed to find at her return when she left, but she didn't and she couldn't go back in time to change things. She had already spent so much time living in the past, it was time to move on and focus solely on her present.

"So I pretty much need to win her back" Elena said while Damon poured her juice from the box. "The way she looks at me…as if we're just strangers. And in a way I think we are…I mean, we're not the same people we were ten years ago, I don't even know if I still know her but it's just…" She took a deep breath "It doesn't feel that way, for me she's still my best friend"

"And you're still hers Lainey, trust me, no one is taking that title from you" He smirked at her "But Care, she just really resented you when you lost all touch with her… and she knows that it was too hard for you… she didn't blame you at the beginning" He looked down at his plate "She blamed me, she gave me the silent treatment for an entire year" Elena's eyes shot up in surprise. That must have been hard considering she was dating Stefan. "Then she realized she couldn't hate me forever considering she was with my brother so she transferred that hatred to you" He laughed sardonically "But most of all she's hurt, she went through some crappy stuff and she needed her best friend"

"God I'm such a bitch" Elena muttered. Until this day she still couldn't believe how selfish she had been with Caroline, she was the worst best friend in the world.

"No, you're not. And Care, she'll come around. I think it's mostly the pregnancy that's making her so grumpy" He tried to joke but Elena didn't laugh "Light up Lainey, I think you're already cracking her shield, she was pretty excited about meeting you today"

"Really?" Elena perked up. She was probably more excited about the whole cake thing, since it appeared Caroline really loved her job, but Elena would take any chance she got to be closer to her.

"Yeap, so don't mess it up" He said with a smile.

They continued talking a bit and then proceeded to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. It was now close to seven am and still the staff was nowhere to be seen, Elena was really grateful for it, she wanted this time just for her and Damon.

They were now in the couch once again, sitting opposite from each other, Elena had her legs crossed Indian style and he had his arm draped on the back of the couch. "So are you finally going to tell me?"

"I know you don't get it and it probably doesn't make sense to you, Elena, but I did what I thought was right at the moment"

"How could that be right Damon, didn't it occur to you to ask me what I wanted?" Her voice was starting to rise and she tried to calm herself down, she didn't want to fight again with him but she couldn't help but being mad at him.

"Because I knew what you'd do Elena" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers "You were always meant for great things, you were supposed to get out of here and be great" He looked right at her and there was so much pain in his eyes "After the first month you were there I decided I couldn't be away from you anymore, I was going to drop everything here and follow you to Berkley"

The air got stuck in her throat and her hands started to tremble _. He wanted to go to her?_

"But right at that time my mom got sick. Her heart wasn't working well, I didn't tell you anything because I knew you'd leave everything and run back home and you couldn't do that…you had to follow your dream. And I… I couldn't leave mom, she and Stefan…they had no one, I was not going to be my father and abandon them. So I stayed…"

Elena watched him intently and saw the thousands of emotions going through him. He looked so vulnerable, like that lost boy he once was. "A few more months passed and it was hard…not having you here. I wanted to see you so badly but I knew it was unfair to put such a burden over your shoulders, you called me and told me how much you were loving college and I knew you were happy there" Elena felt her eyes filling with tears "And you deserved to be, it was everything you ever dreamed"

"I was missing you too"

"I know…I knew you missed me too but I thought that with time it would be easier to be apart from each other… but then… I found out you were going to drop off college to come back" Elena sucked in a breath. _How was that possible?_ He couldn't have known that.

"How did you-"

"Your parents called me. They said you told them you wanted to leave Berkley and come back home… they said-"Damon laughed sardonically "They said I was ruining your life, that If I truly loved you it was time to let you go"

"Damon I-"Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her wounds opened up once again, like she was relieving the moment.

"So I did. I did because it was right, because you deserved to study in your Dream College and graduate, to go to places and do things, not be tied to me in this small town. If you returned we would probably have gotten married and had a couple of kids and you wouldn't have done half the things you did. And yes I did it over a phone call, douche thing to do but I just knew that if I saw you once again I wouldn't be able to leave you. I know it's no excuse but I just…I just wanted the best for you, that's what I've always wanted"

"Oh God Damon" Elena covered her face with her hands and cried a little "Don't you get it? It wasn't your decision or my parents, all the things I did, the places I went…I wanted all of that with you, without you they were nothing"

"Elena-"

"I would have been happy here too… with a bunch of babies and the bar…and my friends…and your mom. I would have been happy here because all I ever wanted was you" She could picture it, for a moment all that she saw in her head were the images of that life, of the life they would have lead if he had never made that phone call. "All I always needed was you"

"I didn't wanted you to someday resent me…for taking away your dreams, to tying up to this place… I just-"

"I would have never…"

"You don't know that Elena, we don't-"

Tears were running down his face too, the pain and the hurt were raw in his soul, he regretted it, it was the biggest mistake of his life but in the end she reached her dreams even if that costed them a little bit of time apart. The important thing was that she was here once again, life was giving them a second chance.

"Damon…oh God" She closed her eyes and then she felt his strong arms around her, holding her, making her feel safe, like he always did.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Lainey" She cried freely onto his chest and she felt his tears soaking her hair as well. "If I could take all your pain away I would, I swear. You're the only person I never wanted to hurt and yet all I've done is make you suffer"

"It doesn't matter anymore, Damon. I love you, I'll always love you" She said between sobs "You're my first love Damon" She lifted her head and looked straight at him

"You're my only love Lainey" He whispered before taking her lips in a passionate kiss, full of love and longing. Filled with hope for another chance.

Finally together again. Grieving for the time they lost, for the dreams they left behind. And for those two young people they used to be. But embracing a new future, together, always together.

 _._

 _If you forgive me all this_

 _If I forgive you all that_

 _We forgive and forget_

 _And it's all coming back to me_

* * *

 ** _Leave me a review?_**


	10. It burns me

Hey! Hope you like the chapter, please leave me a review :)

Thanks a lot to everyone reading this and to Lorena for being my beta.

Love,

Sam

* * *

" _If you're looking for the word that means caring about someone beyond all rationality and wanting them to have everything they want no matter how much it destroys you, it's love. And when you love someone you just, you…you don't stop, ever. Even when people roll their eyes, and call you crazy. Even then. Especially then. You just– you don't give up. Because if I could just give up…if I could just, you know, take the whole world's advice and– and move on and find someone else, that wouldn't be love. That would be… that would be some other disposable thing that is not worth fighting for"_

 _ **-How I met your mother-**_

 _ **.**_

She put on her sunglasses and started the engine of the car, her brother was once again too busy touring around town with his fiancée, so she was going alone to the cake tasting since her friends weren't in shape after a long night in the bar. In fact, they were so sick with a hangover that they forgot to inquire her about her night with Damon. Her mother had been calling her since yesterday but she refused to take her calls, she didn't want her parents ruining her mood.

The wind was blowing her hair in every direction and a huge smile was plastered on her face. She felt so liberated, free, young and happy. She and Damon had parted this morning with the promise of meeting each other again at night. For the first time in a long long time Elena Gilbert felt truly happy.

She parked in front of the little bakery and took a deep breath before leaving the car, things between her and Damon were definitely getting better but there were other things she needed to work out, the most important was her best friend. Elena was determined to win Caroline back, after a few days in Mystic Falls she had realized how much she missed everything, who she used to be, how simple life was back then. In the back of her mind was a nagging little voice telling her she had a life waiting for her in San Francisco, but for the time being she decided to ignore it.

Elena entered the shop, the little bell in the door alerted the owner of the presence of a new client, her white heels resounded in the linoleum floors and Elena smiled when she heard the soft hum of "Moon River" playing in the background. Caroline smiled slightly and gestured for her to follow her to the back.

"I thought Jeremy and his fiancée were coming with you" Caroline said once Elena was next to her. They entered what she assumed was the kitchen, it was a big place with white walls and big windows. It was cute and very much Caroline.

"No, he's been showing Anna his favorite places and stuff like that" Elena said while taking a seat in a high silver chair "So he left it up to me"

"Wow, if I was his girlfriend I would want to be a part of every little detail. But I guess the point of having a wedding planner is being able to relax" The blonde girl said while taking out little containers from the fridge. Other four people were working around them and Elena felt so happy at seeing how far her friend had come.

"Yeah I know, but Anna's actually kind of weird," Elena said and laughed, her heart filling with hope when Caroline laughed alongside her. "I guess she didn't want the stress and all, they did gIve me very specific instructions but they would rather spend their time here doing other things than to be stressing about wedding preparations."

"Yeah I guess that makes sense" Caroline said before putting five different containers in front of her "Okay, I made five different combinations based on the information you gave me so, here we go" She handed her a spoon and looked at her eagerly as she tried each one.

Elena felt a pang of nostalgia hit her in the chest, this could have been them, planning their weddings together. She would have been Caroline's bridesmaid and she would have been hers. She didn't stop feeling amazed at how much it could hurt to think of all the things she lost in the last few years.

Among pastries, merengue, cookie dough and coffee things got a little easier between them, they worked for almost an hour in a design that left both parties satisfied. Elena could see that Caroline was very talented in her work when she showed her pictures of previous cakes she had worked on. And in the end they decided to have two cakes, one would be coconut and raspberry and the second one would be chocolate and mint. Elena was completely positive that Jeremy and Anna were going to be delighted with their wedding cakes.

"Okay so don't worry about anything else, we will deliver straight to the place the party is being held at, and I'm confident there won't be any issues" Caroline gave her a professional smile as she crossed her hands on top of her barely there baby bump.

"You're going? Jeremy told me she invited you and Stefan…and the other guys too" Elena asked, she hadn't been surprised at Jeremy's choice but she did wonder how their parents were going to react, they never liked their friends very much.

"Yeah I think we are" She smiled slightly "In fact, Stefan is really excited" Elena smiled back at her and grabbed her keys and sunglasses, she wanted to talk to her but after seeing the chaos around the kitchen she figured it probably wasn't the best time.

"Well I'll better get going, seems like you have a lot of work to do"

"Yeah it's been a crazy week" Caroline answered and they both just stared at each other for a moment "Uhmm Stefan said you might be spending the rest of your time here in the old farm"

"Yeah, I had no idea that the property still belonged to my family" Elena said while crossing her feet nervously "But now that I do, I don't see why we shouldn't stay there"

"I think it's a great idea, that place's been lonely for a very long time"

Elena looked at her and wanted to say a millions things "Caroline I-"

"It's okay Elena, really we don't need to do this" Caroline busied herself with something else and avoided looking her in the eye. That's how Elena knew that their conversation was over.

"I'll see you later. Thank you for everything" She took her things and exited the kitchen. She should feel bad because things weren't okay between them yet but somehow she felt more positive, there was still a long way to go but she felt like things would work out between them in the end.

Elena was about to leave the shop when a cold hand on her arm stopped her "You really think you're better than all of us here" A female voice said and she turned around to see the girl from the bar, Rose.

"Excuse me?" Elena asked while moving the woman's hand from her arm

"You, walking around this town with your fancy clothes thinking you're better than everyone else" Elena stared at her open mouthed, not really knowing what to say "You think you can come back like the queen of this town and suddenly everything is going to fall at your feet?"

"I don't really know why you're saying all of these things but you really need to back off" Elena was starting to get mad and could see people staring at them

"You may have him now but he won't stay forever" Elena's heart got stuck in her throat when those words left the woman's mouth "He's infatuated with you right now, because you are a novelty in some way but you don't know him not really, once he gets bored he's going to toss you aside, just like he did with me" Elena's hands were starting to shake and wanted nothing more than get the hell away from this woman.

"You know nothing, nothing about me and Damon" She told her, her mind was getting confused. She wanted to believe her words, wanted to believe things were different between them. But what if this woman was right, what if she didn't know Damon anymore?

"Oh really, I think I know a lot more than you do" Rose spat at her "Because I was there all of the times you weren't, you little bitch"

"Okay that's enough" Caroline's voice resounded in the place "Get the hell away from my shop Rose and don't ever come back, you're no longer welcome"

"You know what? Fine by me, I never really liked you blondie" Caroline rolled her eyes as the brunette woman left the shop not before giving Elena a nasty glare though. Elena closed her eyes and her face almost burst into flames when she noticed that everyone around her was looking.

"Great" She muttered and exited the shop as well. The last thing she needed was people starting to gossip around her more than they already were.

"Elena, wait" Caroline walked behind her "Don't listen to her, she has no idea what she's talking about"

"Yeah well, neither do I" She answered honestly.

"Don't let her get in the way Elena" Her friend's blue eyes looked at her with sympathy. "She's not worth it" Caroline squeezed her arm before going back to the shop.

Elena cursed mentally and headed towards her car. All the happiness from this morning starting to evaporate from her.

* * *

Elena arrived at her grandparents' house and almost sighed with relief when she noticed none of her friends were still here, it wasn't rare since they were pretty much comatose when she left in the morning. The last thing she needed right now was to be surrounded with questions, she was very confused and didn't even know where to start with all the things swirling inside her head.

She left the car and approached the house, she would have to be quick if she didn't want Annie to see her and realize there was something wrong with her. As she walked towards the porch her phone started ringing and when she saw it was Damon calling her a pressure started to grow in her chest.

Elena had been so sure about these feelings this morning, what they shared together was amazing, she felt so connected to the world in that moment, so part of everything around her in a way she hadn't been able to do since everything ended between them but now she was full of doubts, was it possible that she was in love with the idea of Damon? With that young boy she used to love… but was he still that boy? Or maybe he was someone else entirely, someone she didn't know therefore, someone she couldn't possibly love.

"Come on tell me what's wrong" Elena jumped at the sound of her brother's voice and fixed her eyes on him. He was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch and was looking at her with a worried expression.

"Uhmm I'm sorry, I didn't see you" She answered

"I know, you were too busy burning holes into your phone" He told her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees "Come on Lena tell me what's wrong"

Elena huffed and dropped herself in the chair next to his "Everything's wrong"

"When I talked to you on the phone today you seemed so happy and now you look like someone killed your puppy" Elena laughed slightly and started to rock herself in the chair

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would be like if we never left Mystic Falls?" She asked as she fixed her eyes on the green land before them

"Not really, don't get me wrong I loved this place, I don't think there's many places like this in the world but there was nothing that kept me tied to this place" He started rocking in the chair as well and looked at her "But it's always been different for you"

"How so?" She asked absently

"Well you left your heart here" He answered softly. The air got stuck in her throat and she turned her head to look at him. "I know that you're like this because of Damon, tell me what's on your head sis"

"I'm not sure that my love for him is real" She answered honestly

"What are you talking about? Why do you say that?" He asked with true curiosity

"I mean I loved him before, I truly did. But how can I love him today if I don't even know who he is?"

"Of course you know, he's Damon"

"But he's not the same man he was back then"

"Well everyone changes sister, you're not the same either"

"Exactly! How can we be so sure that we love each other if we don't even know who the other truly is? You can fall in love with someone within minutes"

"Okay I'm going to stop you right there because you're starting to sound like mom and dad" He stopped the motions of the chair and placed his hand on top of hers, forcing her to stop as well "And risking to sound like grams I'm going to ask you something… when did you know you loved Damon?"

"What?" Elena asked confused

"It's an easy question, when did you know you loved him"

Flashes of moments together started to appear in her head, millions of times together, all of them stopping in one of the most important moments of her life. She had been a little girl, sitting in the playground at school and looking with tear stained eyes at her sandwich laying on the ground. Some kid had pushed her and dropped her food all over the grass, she didn't know what to do, she was so hungry and didn't know who to ask for help, Miss Casey was a mean old lady and since it was her first day in this school she had no friends. And then it happened, a blue eyed boy sat next to her and after taking one look at her expression he handed over his own food to her, she had cut the sandwich in half and handed a part to him and they ate in silence while looking at each other once in a while, since that moment he became her savior. She had loved him there, in spite of being just a kid she felt the most pure form of love in that one moment, and fate was sealed, everything after that was just the path until they could fulfill their destiny. "Since the first moment I saw him" She answered her brother's question.

"And you know when I realized that I loved Anna? After the first time we spoke at the university library" His expression softened and he squeezed her hand "You can't measure love Elena, love is that thing no one can explain. It can be born in a moment and last for a life time. Can you tell me with all honesty that you're sure in the depths of your soul that what you feel for Damon isn't love?"

Elena looked at her brother and felt a tear fall from her eye "But what if I'm wrong Jeremy?"

"Then you are and that's it. You can't spend your life trying to escape pain Elena, you need to start living again, take a chance and risk it all, there's no gain if you don't take a risk"

Elena took a deep breath and tried to steady her heart, could it be? Could things between her and Damon actually work out? She didn't know what scared her the most: taking that leap of fate and have her heart broken again or not taking it and living her entire life wondering what could have happened. What could hurt more? saying the things you felt or not saying them at all?

"Just think about it Lena" Jeremy said and then heard Anna calling him "Ugh I better go see that, we just came to drop some things off and were heading to the falls" Elena smiled slightly at him, he stood up and kissed her forehead "You'll do the right thing sis" he told her before entering the house and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Elena started rocking herself in the chair again as the humid summer air kissed her face, she dropped her shoes and wiggled her toes as she extended her feet in the air, just like she used to do when she was a little girl. She could hear everything here, the birds chirping, the leaves rustling, a lonely car passing in the distance, there was nothing like this in San Francisco. After a few moments she heard Annie fighting with her old cassette player in the distance and smiled. No matter how many times they told her that was useless she refused to throw it away.

A familiar tune started to sound once Annie was able to beat the old device. Elena felt a warm sensation spread through her body at the first words on the song. Damon loved this song, he was a die hard Cash fan. It seemed that since she got back everything around her reminded her of him.

 _The taste of love is sweet  
When hearts like ours meet.  
I fell for you like a child,  
Oh, but the fire went wild_

Well, Johnny and June didn't have it easy either and yet she managed to find in her heart the strength to trust in him again. Could she do that, could she put her trust in him again? Handing her heart over to him with the knowledge that he could crush it anytime he wanted. As if on cue her phone starting ringing again, she looked at the name on the screen and felt her heart squeezing in her chest, the words echoing in the background.

 _I went down, down, down as the flames went higher  
And it burns, burns, burns,  
The ring of fire, the ring of fire._

And it burns indeed. With a deep breath she pressed the green button on her phone and pressed the phone into her ear. "Hello?"


	11. Who is Damon without Elena?

**Hey guys!**

 **How you been doing?**

 **I wish you all the best in this holidays, hope you have an amazing start of the year.**

 **I want to thank you all for being with me this year, supporting me and reading my stories, you make my life so much better.**

 **I also want to thank Lorena for being the best beta ever! She's the best and I'm really gateful of having her.**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter and that you let me know what you think.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

" _I don't know who I am without you, but I know that as long as I'm with you, time will stand still. So who is Damon Salvatore without Elena Gilbert? A selfish friend, a jealous brother, a horrible son? Or maybe with a little luck, I'll do right by you. Because you may be a thousand miles away or a hundred years away, but you're still here with me and my heart is right there in that coffin with you. Until you come back to me"_

 _ **-THE VAMPIRE DIARIES-**_

 _ **.**_

She heard the laugher echoing in the hallways and a small smile spread across her face, it was nice to have some joy in this house again. Since the moment she set foot here since her return it had seemed to her that the house was lonely, a hollow place that had so much to offer and now it finally had some life inside again. How sad it was to think that in a few days all that laughter would be nothing more than echoes of good times spent in this place.

With a sigh Elena opened the door and placed her suitcase at the foot of the bed, the guys had started to arrive with their things a few minutes ago and Annie had been ecstatic. She made them lunch and started to talk about all the times Elena and Jeremy spent here during their childhood. The house was practically a mansion so each of them chose a room, Elena decided to stay in what was her old bedroom and almost fell to her knees when she opened the door and found everything exactly as she left it. Her grandparents didn't change a thing, the bed clothing was still of that aquamarine color she loved so much, the lacy drapes blowing in the wind, the walls were white and a poster of Hayden Christensen was on the back of the door, she smiled when she spotted it. This place always felt more like home to her than the house where she lived with her parents, being inside this room was like entering a time capsule and there tucked in the boudoir's mirror were pictures of happy times: her and Caroline with their arms around each other next to the lake; Jeremy and her as toddlers with her parents in Disneyland; Stefan giving the valedictorian speech; Stefan, Damon, their mom and her by their fireplace in the Salvatore house; she and Damon dancing in the bar while looking at each other with adoration and love in their eyes.

Elena took the picture between her hands and felt her chest constricting with nostalgia, how happy she had been back in the day, when she had everything in her hands and didn't even know it. She stroked her fingers across Damon's face and sighed loudly remembering their short talk earlier. She agreed to meet with him at the bar later since he was working today, she knew he could tell that something was off with her but chose not to bring it up.

Elena placed the picture back on the mirror and dropped herself on the bed, her hair sprawling on the covers and her eyes fixated on the roof. There was so much confusion in her head right now, she truly didn't know what to do, her brain was telling her to get the hell away from Mystic Falls but her heart was telling her to go to Damon and never let him go.

"Okay so now you gotta tell us what the fuck happened with you and Damon last night," Meredith said while barreling into the room with Kol and Bonnie trailing behind her.

"Ugh" Elena closed her eyes and threw her arm across her face as her friends climbed on the bed next to her.

"Come on Lena spill the beans" She heard Bonnie add

"Annie made cookies" Kol said and then stuffed an entire cookie into his mouth "I think I might kidnap this woman and take her back to San Francisco" He said with his mouth still full, Elena couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on! We want to know what happened" Meredith said while removing Elena's arm from across her face "Or I could tell you what happened between me and Ric" She teased while raising her eyebrows

"Ugh" They all moaned in unison "Mer nobody wants to know what happens in your sex fest with the teacher" Kol told her and the brunette just rolled her eyes at him.

"Well if Elena doesn't want to talk, I will tell you that I met someone" Bonnie said and even Elena sat up straight to look at her

"You what?" Kol asked. Out of their whole group of friends Bonnie was always the most reserved, always in long term relationships, always doing a complete background check of a person before dating them, never taking chances so it was pretty strange that she told them she met someone.

"Yeah, his name is Lorenzo and he's Damon's friend" She said with a timid smile as Meredith gave her a suggestive smile

"Ugh" Elena exclaimed before dropping herself on the bed once again. What was it with Damon's friends that were charming all of HER friends?

"Lorenzo? Uh, he sounds yummy" Meredith told them

"Seriously, you can even make someone's name sound dirty" Kol shook his head in silent laughter while looking at Meredith

"What can I say? It's a gift" Meredith scrambled closer to Bonnie on the bed "And…what happened between you two? You got lucky?"

"What?! No, Mer I just met him"

"So? I just met Rick and we've-"

"Stop it" Kol held his hands in the air in front of him "We all know what you and him have been doing"

"We kissed and exchanged numbers and-"

"Oh you kissed? How sweet"

"Meredith stop messing with Bon" Elena reprimanded her friend who only smiled at her and plopped herself down on the bed once again.

"We're meeting at the bar again today"

"Did you guys notice that we've been at the bar almost every night? I feel like we're in a never ending party" Kol said with a pensive look "And I feel lonely, you're all getting lucky and I'm all alone here"

"You have a serious girlfriend" Elena reminded him

"Yeah, yeah" He shrugged

Bonnie sat kneeled on the bed and stared straight at Elena "So, Lena are you going to tell us what happened with Damon now?" The three of them looked at her expectantly and if her mood was any other she probably would have laughed at the sight

"We slept together" She admitted with a sigh

"Told ya" Meredith said to Kol

"Damn" He pulled out a fifty dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it over to Meredith

"Were you really betting on my sex life?" Elena shrieked as she sat up on the bed "Seriously?!"

"And I won" Meredith told her with a wink as she gave her an indignant look

"Ignore them" Bonnie said "So? Are you two like together again?"

"NO! Yes, I don't really know" Elena closed her eyes and moved so she could now rest her back against the headboard "I really don't know what to do"

"Here, have a cookie" Kol handed her one and she took it with a smile as she moved her knees so they were know tucked against her front "It will make you feel better"

"You love him" Meredith said and looked at her intensely. It was the most serious she had been since coming to Mystic Falls "I have to admit that when we came here I was very keen on castrating Damon and I thought… I thought that you just needed to put closure on all of this to move on, that you were just living based off old feelings" Elena looked at her expectantly, her doe eyes pleading with her to tell her something useful, Meredith was always the voice of reason and Elena trusted her advice with her soul. "But then I saw you two together and it all made sense"

"What did?" Elena asked

"I've never been in love Elena, no offense Kol"

"Non taken" He answered with a smile

"I've loved quite a few guys but I've never been IN love" She shook her head lightly "I've read a lot about it, even heard my parents talk about it, they're one of those couples you know, who just can't live without the other and I've always wanted something like that" Meredith looked at her friends with a murderous expression "If any of this comes out of this room I will kill you all, because you know it could ruin my badass reputation" They all laughed and nodded so she could continue "I've always dreamed of finding someone who looks at me the way my dad looks at my mom, you can see it in his eyes you know, the love shinning in there…the all-consuming, burning thing that everybody talks about, the epic kind of love that is passionate and wild and leaves your head spinning and unable to sleep at night , I've never had that, Elena, but I've seen it, I saw it in my parent's every day and I saw it in your eyes yesterday…I saw it in his while he held you on the dance floor"

Without noticing it a single tear was rolling down Elena's cheek "And I think deep inside your heart you know what that means and what you need to do" Meredith told her "It doesn't happen often Elena and once you love someone like that I don't think you can ever stop"

"I just, I feel so confused" She admitted "And isn't it all pointless in the end? I just have a few more days and then I'll have to leave"

"Do you want to?" Kol asked her and Elena felt sucker punched. "It's a simple question Lena, do you want to go back?"

She stared at him without uttering words and shook her head slightly "Then that's your answer" He smiled sympathetically at her.

"Stop doing what everybody expects from you Elena" Bonnie stroked her knee and smiled at her "Do what you want to do, for once, even if it seems crazy, just take a chance and stop being afraid"

Elena smiled at them and thought of how lucky she was to have friends like them, that could understand her even when she couldn't understand herself and who were always so willing to comfort her and give her advice.

But in spite of what they thought she couldn't' stay. She had a life back in San Francisco and she was going back to it, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy her time here.

"So, what time are we going to the bar?" She told them with a smile.

* * *

Elena laughed at something Tyler said before taking a gulp of her drink and shifting her gaze to the bar where Damon was working, it was incredible but even watching him pour drinks and mix cocktails was a turn on for her. She came to the bar tonight with the idea of having fun and enjoying the moment and that was exactly what she was doing and of course she couldn't take her eyes off him either and the fact that he looked in her direction every five minutes wasn't helping either.

They were seated in their usual booth near the jukebox, all of them were there with the exception of Stefan and Caroline, apparently she hadn't been feeling well and they decided to stay home, Elena made a mental note to go visit her tomorrow to check on her, the wedding was the day after tomorrow and she wanted to try her best to mend things with her former friend before returning to San Francisco.

"So are you guys ready for the wedding? You know it's forever and stuff like that" Tyler asked Jeremy and Anna who hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other.

"Tyler, leave them alone" Matt said with a grin

"What? It's a valid question"

"Yeah we're more than ready, we really can't wait to be husband and wife" Jeremy answered and a wave of awws was heard across the table, all of them came from the females of course, the boys just rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"How sweet, and are you excited for your bachelorette party Anna?" Meredith asked while raising her eye brows at the younger girls

"Bachelorette party?" Anna asked in confusion

"You didn't tell her?" Meredith asked Elena

"I would if I had an idea of what you're talking about" Elena answered before taking another sip of her drink

"Well I guess I forgot" Meredith shrugged "Anyway, we are kidnapping you tomorrow and taking you to the most amazing bachelorette party and Jeremy will be staying at the hotel because it's your last day as single people so we can't have you two sleeping together like an already married couple"

"And when were you planning to tell us this?" Jeremy asked while a very confused Anna looked at him

"Well I'm doing it now" Meredith said with a grin "Come on, don't be such a spoil sport"

"Yeah Jeremy and we can have your bachelor party" Tyler offered "Oh it's going to be awesome" Tyler said, his head already spinning with ideas.

"And you don't even have to sleep at the hotel, you can stay at my place" Matt told the younger Gilbert.

"Oh boy" Elena whispered before casting her eyes back at the bar and frowning when she didn't spot Damon there.

"Do we have a choice?" Jeremy asked

"Nope" Bonnie said while winking at them

"Then I guess it's fine" Anna said with a small smile. She was quite a shy girl and being around such a large and loud group of people made her feel a little uncomfortable. But she knew they were important to Jeremy so she would try her best to get along with them, even if that meant having to stand a bachelorette party.

"Don't worry Jer, I'll take good care of her" Elena told her younger brother.

"And I'll take good care of you" She heard him whisper in her ear and all the hairs on her body stood up. He placed a kiss on her cheek and her skin tingled at the sensation "Come on, let's dance" Damon asked her, completely ignoring everyone else at the table who were now staring them with knowing looks.

She smiled slightly at him and took the hand he was offering her, she saw him pull some coins out of his pocket as they walked the few steps separating them from the jukebox "What do you wanna hear?" He asked her

She skimmed her eyes trough the selection and smiled when she spotted the song she wanted, she took the coins in Damon's hand and pressed the buttons right before taking his hand and leading him to the dance floor.

 _I keep the ends out for the tie that binds  
Because you're mine, I walk the line_

"Good choice" He told her with a smile as they started to sway to the sound of the music

"I have the best taste in music" She answered and he rewarded her with a twist, she was wearing a deep blue summer dress that flew around when he twirled her

"Everyone is staring at us" She whispered and he casted his eyes up to see that in fact everyone in the room was paying close attention to them, even their friends

"Let's give them something to stare at" He told her and she let out a carefree laugh as he dipped her and sang to her in a deep voice, trying to imitate the one blasting from the jukebox

 _I keep you on my mind both day and night  
And happiness I've known proves that it's right  
Because you're mine, I walk the line_

"You're crazy"

"Only for you" He answered and her heart skipped a beat.

Just having fun right? Nothing was going to change, she would go back to San Francisco and keep living her life. Right?

As if sensing something was wrong Damon pulled her close and embraced her as they swayed, she clung to him tightly and closed her eyes while burying her face in his chest, breathing in his scent. Who was she kidding, nothing was ever going to be the same. She and Damon were never going to stop feeling this way.

 _Because you're mine, I walk the line_

"It's been so long since I've enjoyed something so much" She whispered into his ear

"I know what you mean" He answered and moved her so he was now staring at her face "I've missed this face" He said while cupping her cheek with his hand, Elena leaned into his touch and smiled at him.

"And I've missed those eyes" She told him and he smirked at her before dipping her again

The music kept playing and more couples started to crowd the dance floor but they didn't take notice, not even when the song changed because they were so deep in their own little world, where nothing else existed but them. A place where the mistakes of the past or the uncertainty of the future didn't matter. Where they were only Damon and Elena, falling in love all over again.

Elena spent the rest of the night in complete bliss, after dancing with Damon she completely let go and stopped thinking about the future or the past, she just enjoyed herself, sang along with her friends, danced with her brother and relished in the feeling of being loved and happy.

She watched Meredith make out with Ric like they were teenagers and Bonnie dance with Enzo and smiled to herself, apparently Mystic Falls was indeed a magical place and she felt more than happy to see her friends being so carefree and joyful, this place was changing them all. Well not all, Kol was still the dork he usually was.

After dancing a few more songs with Jeremy she excused herself to the bathroom, she put her hair in a high ponytail and pressed a wet paper towel to the back of her neck, she had been dancing the entire night and her body was heating up, she looked at herself in the mirror and watched a grin appear there, she looked happier than ever. She put on a bit of powder and a new coat of lipstick before leaving the bathroom. Unfortunately once she was out all that joy evaporated from her body. There, right at the bar was Rose and worst of all, she was speaking with Damon, Elena watched them and felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, somehow she felt like the intruder, the one who came to disturb the quietness and normalcy of Mystic Falls.

With a deep sigh she headed towards the door, she needed some fresh air, the night had turned bitter and dark and she felt the anger and sadness creeping into her body. Was this going to be her everyday life if she went back to Damon? Resentment and sorrow?

Elena pressed her back against the wall and closed her eyes, letting the warm summer air caress her skin, the sound of the music was a low hum and the sound of footsteps made her open her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Damon asked her as he touched her cheek with his hand. He watched her walk away from the bar and followed her immediately, he knew how easy it was for her to let the doubts and fears change her mind and he was having none of it.

She flinched at his touch and it felt like a shot to the heart for him "I just needed some air"

"Something's bothering you" He whispered and moved closer to her. He wasn't going to let her have any space tonight. It was too dangerous.

"Maybe you should be more worried about what's bothering Rose" She spat and regretted it immediately, the last thing she needed was to give him something to use against her. But contrary to what she thought he didn't taunt her with her obvious jealousy.

"Lainey, the only one I'm concerned about is you" He took a strand of hair from her ponytail and wrapped it around his finger "I already told you that what I had with Rose wasn't anything like you and me, and she knew that, I never pretended to be in love with her, she knew since the first moment that I could never be what she wanted me to be"

Elena closed her eyes and let herself soak in the words he was saying, it was too easy, to just let him convince her that everything was going to be okay, but then at the most insignificant of signs her wound opened up again and she started to bleed.

"Well she thinks you'll come back to her…I don't know what you told her about us but she-"

"Hush" He placed a finger against her lips "I never never spoke with her about us, I never spoke with anybody about us love, you're only mine and those feelings were too deep, too important, I never shared them with anyone but Stefan" He took a deep breath "I know- I know what she said today to you, Caroline called and I guess that's the reason why you're like this right now but Elena she knows nothing, nothing about us, she couldn't possibly understand the way I feel about you" Elena's breath got stuck in her throat as she looked at his eyes turning bluer "You don't have to worry more about her, I'll make sure of it"

"But it isn't just about her Damon, it's everything" She said, exasperated. "It's you breaking up with me over the phone, us losing ten years, my parents coming to town tomorrow, Rose and San Francisco…" She threw her hands up in the air pushing herself away from the wall and from him "It's everything, everything's doomed to fail with us and I can't-"Tears started to gather in her eyes "I can't do this again"

"Hey, hey" He walked to her and took her in his arms, she resisted at first but eventually let herself be embraced by him "That phone call is going to hunt me forever but love, you need to give me a clean slate, I know it's too much to ask after everything but we need to start over"

"But-"

"No buts, I'm not letting go this time Elena, and you can fight it all you want, and there can be a million of obstacles between us but I won't let anything come between us this time, not even you" He stroked her hair and felt her going limp in his arms "I will wait for you, all the time in the world, until you're ready to truly come back to me, I'll be here Elena, I'm not going anywhere" She lifted her head and stared straight into his eyes "I love you" He whispered "You have my heart now and forever"

She took a shaky breath and clung more tightly to him "And you have mine Damon, it has always been here with you"

The low tune of _Strawberry Wine_ could be heard from the inside and she smiled slightly, lacing her fingers behind his neck as they swayed slowly to the music with nothing but the stars as a witness of their love.

"Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask you to go home with me tonight?" He whispered to her, their foreheads were pressed together and their lips almost touching.

"It would be indeed, Mr. Salvatore" He smiled at her words as they kept moving "But I don't mind, not today"

"So, would you go home with me Mrs. Gilbert?"

"I would love to" She answered before he dipped her, earning a laugh from her lips "Take me home Damon" She whispered and he smiled at her before taking her hand and leading her towards the parking lot.

They had no idea what the future had in store for them but it didn't matter, not today, not under the beautiful night and the promise of that all-consuming epic love only fairytales talk about.

* * *

 **Review? Pretty please?**


	12. I've got you

**Hello guys, How you've been doing?**

 **I really hope 2016 is treating you right and that you're all having a great time.**

 **I'm here with a new chapter and I must tell you that this story is heading towards the end, I always planned for it to be a short story and I actually ended up writting more chapters than what I initially planned. So, I really hope you're enjoying the story so far.**

 **Hope you like the new chapter,**

 **Love you guys.**

 **Sam**

* * *

 **IN A WORLD LIKE THIS**

 _You found me heartbroken, heartbroken, on the floor  
Became my salvation, salvation through the mourn.  
You got me wide open, wide open. Now I'm sure  
In a world like this where some back down  
I know we're gonna make it  
In a time like this where love comes 'round  
I know we're gonna take it  
_

 _ **-The Backstreet Boys-**_

 _ **.**_

Damon opened his eyes and saw small rays of sunshine peaking underneath the curtains, he scrunched his eyes and tried to block it. He could hear the cars passing in the distance and groaned internally, he would probably have to open the shop soon so that implied him leaving the bed and he didn't feel ready yet. A movement on the other side of the bed brought back his attention and he casted his eyes towards the sleeping body next to his, for a moment he forgot about last night and his heart stopped in his chest at the sight of her naked form. Her brown hair sprawled on the pillows and her back at complete display for him to stare at.

He inhaled deeply and moved closer towards her, last night had been amazing, having her in his arms once again was a feeling he would never be able to describe, he felt so complete, so whole while she was next to him.

He placed a gentle kiss between her shoulder blades and watched her move "Umm" She murmured and he smiled next to her skin.

"Time to wake up, sleepy head" He whispered as his hand travelled from her shoulder towards her waist, resting on her belly. He used to hate waking up, because that meant that he would have to face another day in his reality without her but right now with her on his bed he didn't want to close his eyes ever again, he wanted to be awake and enjoy the fact that she was with him again.

She turned her head "I don't want to" Her voice was muffled into the pillow. His hand moved upwards and cupped one of her breasts "hmm" She moaned as he moved closer and pressed his erection against her backside "Oh Damon"

He started a path of kisses from her neck towards her chest while moving her so she was now trapped underneath his body "I'll never get tired of this" He whispered before taking one of her breasts into his mouth. She arched her back and laced her hands in his hair, gripping it tightly. Damon moaned, having her touch him was the best feeling in the world.

"Damon" She gasped as he started moving his kisses upwards again but when he reached her mouth she closed her lips tightly and started laughing.

"Can you tell me why you're refusing my kiss?" He whispered into her ear as his hand played with her nipple. Elena half laughed, half moaned and shook her head. "I won't ask again Lainey, why?

She pressed her mouth against his neck and whispered "Morning breath" Damon moved and he stared at her for a whole minute before starting to laugh, moving so he was now next to her instead of on top of her. "Are you serious?" He said while laughing

"Do not laugh at me" She punched him and started to laugh as well.

"That didn't seem to bother you last time"

"Well it does now. I don't want you running into the other direction once you kiss me"

"Oh love, that could never happen" He placed a kiss onto her cheek and stretched himself until he reached the night stand, he opened a drawer and rummaged through its contents until he found a little box with breath mints "Here, blondie loves giving this to everyone" Elena took the little box and saw the print of Caroline's shop on the box and smiled slightly. "Happy?"

"Yes, and well Caroline's always been quite a clever girl" Elena said before opening the thing and putting two mints into her mouth "Open up" She offered while holding two more in her hands. Damon opened his mouth and she placed them into his tongue but before she could react he closed his mouth around two of her fingers and sucked deeply, sending a new wave of sensations to her body.

"Oh damn" She muttered as she watched him.

He released her fingers with a pop "Now, you're going to give me a proper kiss" He stated before rolling on top of her and fusing their mouths together.

Just like that they started touching everywhere again, kissing, worshiping, relishing in the calmness and happiness of being with the person you love. Molding to each other again, cherishing and giving each other all the love that was denied to them during so long.

Two souls reconnecting, becoming one once again. Then when it was over they lay together for a while, just listening to each other's heartbeats and wondering what the morning was going to bring them.

"So, is everything ready for the wedding?" He asked as she nibbled on her piece of toast. After what seemed like ages of holding each other in bed their stomachs finally decided that they needed some food, so Elena sat in the kitchen table while Damon made her scrambled eggs and toast and now she was enjoying the glory that was Damon's newfound cooking skills.

"Yeap, well almost everything. I think I'll spend the rest of the day doing the final touches" Elena winced, her whole day was going to be packed and for the first time in a long while the idea of spending her whole day working wasn't appealing to her, not even because it was her own brother's wedding.

"Well I'm glad everything is going well but I hate that I won't have you to myself all day" He said and leaned across the table to place a kiss on her forehead, Elena closed her eyes and inhaled in his scent, she didn't know if it was coming from him or the shirt she was wearing but today she was surrounded by all things Damon. "But I'm sure we'll be meeting again tonight after the bachelor/bachelorette parties"

Elena laughed while remembering her brother and Anna's face when they told them about the parties "That is if you don't end up to wasted" She joked

"No way, I'll keep myself pretty sober just to see you" He smirked at her and she almost melted into her seat. "Want more?" He gestured towards her plate that was now completely out of food.

"Oh no, I'm fine"

"Come on, you'll need energy for the day that awaits you" He rose to pick up her plate and take it to the stove

"Okay fine, you might be right, even though it's going to be really hard to lose all the weight I must be gaining with these breakfasts you make" She complained

"Please, you're too skinny, this won't do anything to you" He smiled as he placed the plate in front of her again. She smiled back and started eating immediately, truth was she wouldn't mind gaining some weight if that meant eating his food every day.

They ate in silence for a little while just relishing in the quietness and intimacy of being together "You think Caroline would mind if I stop by to her house today?" Damon raised an eyebrow and stared at her with a questioning look "It's just since she was feeling bad yesterday I kind of wanted to check up on her" Elena explained before shrugging.

"I don't think she'll mind at all, in fact I believe she would be really happy about it"

"You think?" Elena asked with hope in her voice

"Yeah, I think you're making progress with her Lainey, she'll come around, you'll see" He smiled encouragingly at her and she smiled back. For some reason she believed every single thing coming out of this man's mouth. "Is something bothering you?" He asked when he noticed her staring into space "You've been kind of absent all morning and I don't think it has something to do with the wedding or blondie"

Elena took a deep breath and looked at him "My parents are coming tonight"

"Oh" He whispered and looked down at his plate. Elena got up and moved in front of him, placed her fingers under his chin and forced him to stare at her

"I won't let them mess with us Damon, I promise"

"I know, it's just the prospect of seeing them again tonight is not very cheerful" He sighed "But I'm not a young boy anymore, I won't let them get in between us, I'm going to fight for us against anyone or anything"

She felt her chest constricting with emotion, the force behind his words left her breathless, there was no doubt she loved this man and would love him for years to come, she sat down on his lap, the shirt she was wearing riding up so the borders of her black lace panties were seen. "I love seeing you in my clothes" He murmured absently while stroking her bare thighs.

Elena closed her eyes in pleasure and moved her hands so she was now stroking his neck and jaw, she always loved his jaw. "I'm guessing your shop is going to open a little late today" She half moaned as his hand moved upwards.

"You guessed right" He whispered huskily and he rose from the chair and she wrapped her legs around his torso "Let's make up for lost time" He told her while carrying her towards the bedroom once again.

* * *

Elena opened the bedroom door and found Caroline reading a book on her bed. Stefan had opened the door and had lead her into the house with a big smile on his face, he was happy that Elena went to see Caroline, he really wanted for the girls to mend things and go back to being friends. Sometimes Elena couldn't understand how he could be so forgiving in his heart, after all she hurt Caroline a lot and didn't deserve any kindness from her husband.

"Hey, Care" Elena spoke softly and saw the flicker of surprise through Caroline's eyes before she closed her book and turned to look at her

"What are you doing here?" The blonde girl asked

"I wanted to see how you were doing" Elena hesitantly walked towards the bed "I heard you've been feeling bad lately and I wanted to come check on you" She looked at the bed as if asking for permission to sit down and the blonde girl smiled slightly and nodded her head in approval.

"I'm fine, just been a little tired lately, but do not panic your cake is going to be at the reception tomorrow" She said smiling brightly "I just needed a little rest"

"Do not worry about that" Elena dismissed "I'm glad that you're fine. Look Care-"

"Elena-"

They stared at each other and started to laugh "You first" Elena said

"I wanted to say that it's all right" She took a deep breath and Elena could see that she was fighting tears "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I don't want to keep holding grudges, you are my best friend and you made a mistake and it hurt me but I get it, and…life's too short to waste time and I want to try to make things work between us again"

"Caroline I-" Elena extended her hand and gripped the blonde's tightly "I'm so sorry for the way I left things, I had no right, you were my best friend and there was so many things I wanted to say to you but you just reminded me of everything I was losing and I- I guess some part of me just wanted to forget it all" Both girls were now crying freely while Stefan snooped around the door with a small smile on his lips "But losing contact with you is the thing I regret the most"

"I want things to be the same between us Elena, even when you go back to San Francisco, I don't ever want to lose touch again" The blonde girl leaned down and Elena moved so they could embrace tightly. How good it felt to have the love of your best friend again, best friends are supposed to be yours for life and losing one of them is like losing a limb, Elena realized in that moment that with each day that passed she gained another part of herself. Maybe at the end of this journey she could finally be whole again. "I want you to meet my baby" The blonde girl said while placing a hand on her belly "I want you to be an important person in my child's life"

"Oh Caroline" Elena said while sobbing "It won't happen again, I promise. And I'm going to spoil that kid so much, and no matter what happens I'm going to stay in that baby's life"

"And please… do not break Damon's heart" Caroline's voice was muffled against Elena's head but the brunette heard every word loud and clear. They broke apart and she looked into the blue eyes of her friend

"I wouldn't do that"

"Maybe not on purpose but just-be careful with his heart Elena" The worry in Caroline's eyes somehow made Elena feel uncomfortable, like she knew some kind of secret she wasn't aware of. "I know that he hurt you and I get it, but the reasons he did what he did- I was really mad at him at the beginning but I totally understood what he did"

"Yeah I know Care, Damon and me-" She took a deep breath "Well I have no idea where we stood with each other but we- we've been sleeping together" Elena almost laughed at the comical way her friend eyes grew at hearing her words

"What?! No way"

"Yea and he told me about what happened with my parents" She said feeling a little uncomfortable, it wasn't pretty to admit her parents had a hand in ending her relationship with Damon.

"Oh thank God" Caroline sighed relieved, taking a hand to her heart "It would be so hard to keep that a secret now that we're talking again" She grinned at Elena "I'm telling you Elena when I saw the state he was in, how they left him I- and you have no idea what it was for his mom to see him behind those bars" Caroline said shaking her head, her face now had a somber tone.

"What bars? What are you talking about Care?" Elena asked, looking intently at her friend. Her chest tightening with fright.

"Oh" Caroline looked at her perplexed "He didn't tell you that part?"

"Caroline please…tell me the whole story" Elena pleaded and Caroline looked like she wanted to smack herself.

"I do tend to talk too much" The blonde girl said, speaking to herself

"Caroline please…"

She took a deep breath and looked straight at Elena "You remember the night Damon broke up with you right?" She asked and Elena looked at her as if saying _'how could I forget'_ she swallowed and continued "He was supposed to meet you two days afterwards or something like that, I don't remember quite well"

Elena felt a pang of pain at the memory, Damon was supposed to come to Berkley to some party, she couldn't really remember what it was about, she was going to tell him about dropping out of college, about going with him back to Mystic Falls and being together but two days before that he called… the call that ended it all. So instead of going to that party she spent the night crying in her dorm room. "Yeah, but he called me…and that's when he broke up with me"

Caroline looked troubled for a minute and Elena wondered how serious it had been, how much Damon had hid from her. "Your father came to town…he… emm well they presented some charges against him, I can't even remember what it was about …Stefan, he's the one who knew about all that legal stuff. But of course they weren't true, Damon is not a criminal but it didn't matter, they put him in prison" Elena took a hand to her mouth as if to stop the gasp that wanted to leave her mouth "Your father told him to break up with you but he said no, so they beat him up pretty badly…he even had to spend some days in the prison infirmary" Caroline looked down not wanting to see the horrified look in Elena's eyes "Then he asked again and Damon said no again, so they closed down the bar. Their mom was going crazy, that bar was the only income they had and her elder son was in prison and by that time she was terribly sick"

"Oh my God, I can't believe this" Elena stood up and started walking the length of the room. How could they do something like that, to Hope, to Damon? What kind of people were her parents?

"By the third time Damon had been in prison around three weeks, and your father told him about your plans of dropping out of college, told him that he was never going to allow for the bar to open again or to let him out of prison unless he ended things with you" Caroline shook her head "He told him that you were going to return to that life, to leave your dream for a boyfriend who was in prison and had nothing to offer. And you see Damon believed it, believed everything your father said"

Elena looked horrified at her friend, wondered how her father could have done that and how come so much time passed without her knowing, even Damon himself hid it from her. "God, Caroline"

"I was so mad with him at the beginning, for letting your father convince him of all those things but now I see that I would have probably done the same. I wanted to call you, tell you everything but Stefan begged me not to, Damon had made his choice and we should respect it"

Elena shook her head as tears of anger started to form behind her eyes "How could they do that?" She sat next to Caroline once again, her friend took her hand and squeezed her gently

"I'm sorry Elena, I know it must be horrible to hear all those things about your parents but that's how things went down" She looked at her friend with sympathy "That's why everyone hates your parent's darling, we all know what they did. The biggest secret that Mystic Falls ever hid"

For a moment Elena felt betrayed, everyone knew and nobody ever said anything to her, not even Jenna or Annie but then again she couldn't blame them. She detached herself from everyone here and besides she imagined nobody would have wanted to face her parents' wrath.

"Thank you so much Caroline" Elena said while staring into her friend's blue eyes and squeezing her hand tightly "I owe you one" She leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek before standing up and heading towards the door "I'll see you tomorrow"

"Elena just please don't do anything rushed"

"Don't worry Care" She said before smiling slightly and leaving the room. On her way out she passed a very quiet Stefan who she was sure heard everything that went down in that room. She said her goodbyes but none of them mentioned a word about what happened.

Then on her way to the car her mother started to call but she sent her straight to voice mail and texted Jeremy letting him know he would have to handle her parents, she didn't want to be near them in a million years.

* * *

Elena was officially drunk. After downing shot after shot of tequila and dancing around the place like a fifteen year old she was ready to announce that she drunk a little bit more than she intended. After her talk with Caroline she was forced to be on her feet the whole day while doing the finishing touches of tomorrow's wedding, the one she was absolutely sure would be perfect. While she was busy doing that her friends were busy organizing the bachelor party in the bar, which Damon offered kindly, the girls did an amazing job with it, they even hired a stripper and Anna was having so much fun.

In the meantime her phone had been ringing nonstop with calls from Damon and her parents, she didn't answer any of them because A) she had no idea what to tell them and B) She wanted to forget even for one day that she was her parent's daughter.

So that was why after a long and tiring day and drinking her weight in alcohol she was now perched next to Bonnie on a booth and laughing uncontrollably at things that made no sense.

"Okay my turn, weirdest place you ever had sex?" asked Meredith with a mischievous expression, she was also very wasted.

"Uhmm let's see" Jenna said while using her thinking face "I guess it would be in my parent's bedroom"

"Ugh" The other four girls said in unison. "That's so messed up" Bonnie said. Caroline still wasn't up to partying all night so at the moment in their little booth there was only Meredith, Bonnie, Jenna, Anna and Elena all the other guest were mingling around, sipping cocktails or putting dollars into the stripper's underwear.

"I guess mine would be in the back of a church" Bonnie said triumphantly

"Oh God you guys are seriously messed up" Murmured Elena "Well I did it on a horse once"

"WHAT?!" The girls yelled and looked at her in shock, Anna even spat out a little bit of her drink

"Yeah with Damon, we were riding and one thing led to the other and well…it was pretty hot" She answered, her eyes clouding with the memories.

"You mean like on top of the horse? Is that even possible?" Anna looked at her with a funny expression

"Oh it's very possible"

"I am never looking at you or Damon the same way" Jenna muttered before downing another shot of tequila.

"Look at that" Bonnie said with a smile and gestured to the entrance of the bar.

All the girls turned around and saw the guys entering the bar "I guess their party wasn't as fun as ours" Meredith said with gleam in her eyes.

Elena's eyes immediately went to the blue eyed man scanning the crowd around them, somehow she felt that after what Caroline told her this morning her love for him grew, she couldn't keep her eyes away from him, he was a vision, in a tight black shirt and jeans he was every woman's dream come true, and he was hers, and he wanted nothing more than her.

He smirked when he spotted her and realized she was checking him out, that smirk always made her weak in the knees "Horse boy is coming" She heard someone behind her say and they all started to giggle but she didn't care. On wobbly legs she stood up and started walking towards him, she wanted nothing more than to reach him and breathe in his scent.

"Easy there, doll" He murmured when he took her in his arms seconds before she fell over her own two feet "Someone's a little drunk"

"You are so damn handsome" She said while throwing her arms around his neck and stepping on her toes to place a kiss on his lips "Like James Dean handsome, I bet everyone here is jealous because it's me who's in your arms"

Damon laughed and stroked her cheek "You are so cute when you're drunk" He felt his body relaxing once he had her with him, he had been on edge all morning thinking the worst since she wasn't answering or returning his calls.

"Can we go please" Elena asked while stroking his chest through the fabric of his shirt "I want you to make love to me tonight" She whispered dramatically in his ear and he tried his best to not laugh. She was going to be out cold before they reached his apartment but he was not going to tell her that, he wanted her in his bed tonight, even if it was just sleeping.

"Of course my love, we'll do whatever you want"

"You are perfect" She told him while staring straight into his eyes, and even though he knew it was her drunk brain talking he felt his chest soaring and his heart beating wildly at the look she was giving him "I love you so much, more than what Padme loved Anakin and Carrie loved Big and more than Summer loved Seth and Joey loved food… you are the very best thing that ever happened to me Damon"

He smiled at her and placed a kiss on her forehead "I love you more my love, you are the best part of me, I would never be able to put into words how much you mean to me" He smiled wickedly at her before taking her in his arms and carrying her bridal style out of the bar while everyone stared at them with knowing looks in their eyes. Truth was the whole town was rooting for them to be together.

"Oh my God Damon, people are going to talk about that tomorrow" Elena said while burying her face in his neck

"Let them" He answered before putting her next to his car so he could open the passenger door for her.

Once inside she closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the leather seats, she never forgot the smell of this car or the feel of the dashboard against her hands and the leather underneath her. In life there are certain things that stay in your memory forever and this car was going to be one of them for her, it made her feel so connected to Damon in ways she couldn't possibly explain.

"All right then" Damon said while entering the car "I think we're ready"

"Let's go home" She said and smiled at him, Damon felt an indescribable feeling in his chest at hearing her refer to his place like her home.

The ride to Damon's apartment was mostly silent, with the exception of Elena humming softly to the music and giggling every once in a while. Truth was she was the cutest drunk girl Damon had seen, he forgot how funny she could be when she was in this state.

Once they reached his apartment he pulled her out of the car and carried her all the way to his apartment, while she threw her head back and laughed hysterically, Damon was only praying to God that she would not throw up or he would end up covered in it.

"You have the most amazing eyes" Elena whispered while looking at him and stroking his cheek, Damon smiled slightly while placing her carefully on the bed. He could see for the way her eyes were moving that she was falling asleep "I mean it, I don't think there's another pair of eyes as beautiful as yours"

"Well thank you" He smirked at her while sitting on the bed and covering her with a blanket while she stared at him in awe

"I want all of our children to have your eyes" She said seconds before yawning and Damon swore to all that was holy that his heart stopped beating in his chest at her words. "It would be so unfair if they don't" She snuggled into the pillow and closed her eyes.

Still speechless Damon kissed her forehead and was about to get up from the bed when her hand on his arm stopped him "Caroline told me" She murmured "What you hid from me, about jail and the bar and everything my parents did"

Damon stared at her as she tried to keep her eyes open. In his mind he was already thinking in ten different ways to kill Caroline "Thank you, for lying to me. You didn't want me to know how awful my parents are and I will always love you more for that" She slowly raised herself until she was face to face with him and placed a soft kiss on his lips before laying down once again.

He smiled slightly, not knowing how to feel with this new development, he would guess they were going to speak about this once she was sober but somehow knowing there were no more secrets between them made him feel more at ease. Like anything was possible and for once they had a real shot at happiness.

.

 _In a world like this where people fall apart  
In a time like this where nothing comes from the heart  
In a world like this, I've got you_

* * *

 **Pretty please?**


	13. I can't keep my eyes off of you

**Hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

* * *

 **You and me**

What day is it? And in what month?

This clock never seemed so alive

I can't keep up and I can't back down

I've been losing so much time

'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do, nothing to lose

And it's you and me and all of the people

And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you

 **-Lifehouse-**

 **.**

Damon closed the hood of the car and sighed loudly, something had been bugging him ever since this morning and he couldn't shake it off. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that Jeremy's wedding was today and he would be face to face with John Gilbert after so many years…of course it also had a lot to do with the fact that Elena left this morning without a word of the conversation they were supposed to have.

She acted like nothing happened, running around the place searching for clothes, he understood that she would be extremely busy today and that things would be extra hard to handle with the killer hangover she was sporting but he had hoped for at least a little bit of time to talk about the issue of her parents, just some time to reassure him that she hadn't changed her mind about them.

He cleaned the sweat off his forehead with a cloth that was hanging from his shoulder and turned around towards the fridge, he took a can of coke and propped open the lid "You would look more badass if that was beer and not coke" Luke, his young employee, said from across the place

"Shut up kid" Damon muttered and took a long sip of his soda

"Okay I won't say anything more…except that you look more anguished than a hero on a cover of a Nicholas Sparks book" Damon rolled his eyes at the boy "I'm just saying, I can practically hear you thinking all the way from here"

"Hey Luke, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" Damon asked while placing the soda on a nearby table. The truth was he was about to close anyway and the boy did talk way too much.

"Really boss?" He asked in a hopeful voice "Wait. You're not like firing me right? Because I saw that guy Caleb the other day here and I'm not saying that you shouldn't hire him but-"

"Luke!" Damon interrupted the boy who stared at him with eyes wide open "I'm not firing you, but yes Caleb was here and yes I'll be hiring him, but that's only because we need more people here, two men is not enough anymore"

"Oh, okay" Luke said, a little more calmed than a few minutes ago "So, I can still go?"

"Yes, Luke, you can" Damon sighed and laughed under his breath while he watched the kid pick up his things and head out. He really liked the kid, he kept him entertained most days but he was indeed a little bit over chatty and noisy.

Damon finished the job he was doing on Mr. Remington's car and without really noticing the morning flew by and he had to start getting ready for the wedding, not that it would take him much time but he wanted to be there early, he wanted a chance to speak with Elena even if it was just for a few minutes, he wanted a chance to shake off this bad feeling, like the night before was just the calm before the storm and something bad was about to happen. Maybe he was being a little bit paranoid but he had learned that life could give you some rough lessons.

He cleaned and put away everything around, he was in the back cleaning one of his tools, two seconds away from closing the door when he heard the sound of heels on the floor and sensed her strawberry shampoo in the air.

He turned around and found her standing next to one of the cars he was fixing earlier "Hey there" He whispered

"Hey" She answered, her gaze was glued on him, going up and down and suddenly he felt too over conscious of his grease stained clothes and dirty hands. Such a contrast with her black pencil skirt and pink silk blouse, two very different worlds. "I came here hoping we could talk for a little bit"

"Yeah" He cleared his throat and tried to clean his hands with the rag in his hand but the grease stains just wouldn't leave his skin. "I wanted that too" Elena watched his every move

"There are a lot of things we need to discuss Damon, lots of things" She leaned against the hood of the car and Damon watched a blush appear on her neck "But now I…"

"You what?" He said walking closer towards her. The look she was giving him… it wasn't like they were from different worlds…It was like she wanted to be just one with him.

"I really, really want you to fuck me right now" Damon let out a chuckle at her crude words and moved even closer. Elena could feel her whole body heating up from the sight of him, he was such a turn on for her, seeing him in his work clothes gave her major feelings.

"And here I was, thinking you would be disgusted with my sweaty body and dirty clothes" He moved until their faces were inches apart so he could submerge himself in her sweet smell.

"And why would you think that?" She asked in a breathless whisper

"Well because you are a princess" He traced the edge of her blouse, his finger almost disappearing into her cleavage and she closed her eyes at the feeling "And I am not the prince in this story"

"Then who are you?" She asked, opening her eyes and staring into the blue pools that were fixated on her face

"I am the pirate" He smirked at her

Elena pressed her hands behind her and pushed herself up so she could climb onto the hood of the car, not caring that it was someone else's, she didn't care about anything at the moment. Damon watched her every move with hungry eyes "And tell me Damon…" She gripped his shirt and pulled him closer towards her as he inched her skirt up so she could open her legs "Who wants the prince when she can have the pirate?" She smiled wickedly at him as he opened her legs and realized she wasn't wearing underwear "Come on Salvatore, this princess needs to be dirtied up a bit" Elena whispered suggestively before he attacked her mouth with his.

Her legs instantly wrapped around his torso, so her bare skin was now pressed against his clothes, his hands tearing up her blouse and leaving dark grease marks all over her skin and clothes, Elena was so damn turned on that she was sure she would come undone any minute now. He lowered the cups of her bra and latched himself onto one of her nipples, she moaned and moved her hands so they could bury themselves in his hair as her lower half rubbed against his torso trying to find the release that was around the corner "Oh Damon, damn Oh, Oh" She groaned as her orgasm hit her with a strength that surprised her, leaving her breathless and panting minutes afterwards "Oh fuck, that wasn't embarrassing at all" She threw her arm on her face to cover herself while Damon laughed quietly. "Do not laugh at me" God he hadn't even truly touched her down there and she had come so fast, not even in her teenage years had she orgasmed so easily.

"But don't for a second think we're over Gilbert" He gently took her hands from her face and kissed her lips "I'm the pirate remember" He removed the bra completely from her body and threw it around, followed shortly by her skirt "And I don't do gentle"

He placed his hand under her armpits and lifted her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around him again, she shrieked as he spun her around with her stark naked body glued to his clothed one "Come on pirate, do your worst" She smirked at him before he kissed her once more and took her upstairs to his bed, where they did a lot of things that didn't involve talking about their issues.

* * *

The whole place looked like it was out of a fairytale, Damon didn't know that it was possible to make something look so beautiful. He had seen Matt's orchard countless of times and he couldn't believe he was staring into the same place. Yellow twinkling lights were scattered all over giving the place a mystical vibe, drapes made of lace were placed at the entry of the barn, the path to the aisle was filled with baby's breath, a big chandelier was placed right in the center of the barn and lots of people wearing expensive clothes gave the whole thing a sense of being out of the real world, like maybe something you watch in a movie or a show.

Damon straightened his black suit jacket and looked around trying to find a familiar face, the guys at the entrance had lead him towards his seat but none of his friends were seated there so he decided to wander around trying to find someone but he still wasn't lucky, he guessed Caroline was in the back, where the reception would be held, setting the cake and all that and Stefan was probably with her too, but he didn't feel like walking all the way there, he was too angsty. He still hadn't seen Elena or her parents and was dreading that moment.

"You look like a lost deer" Tyler said approaching him from behind and placing a hand on his shoulder

"I'm just nervous" Damon muttered

"I would be too, if I had to face the parents from hell" Tayler said shaking his head, his expression somber "But hey, we're not kids anymore Damon, they can't harm you"

"I know, Ty, I know" Damon took a deep breath and let his gaze wander until it landed on her, it took his breath away, she always managed to do that. She was wearing a champagne colored dress, with a lacy bodice that molded to her body beautifully and a flowy skirt that pooled around her, giving her a magical touch, her hair was in curls and styled over her right shoulder. She truly looked like a princess tonight.

"You really have it bad man" Tyler said with a chuckle when he saw the way Damon stared at Elena

"You're noticing that now?" Matt asked as he joined the conversation, Damon rolled his eyes at them.

"You're just jealous because she isn't yours" Damon said while smirking at them

"Well she is indeed a great girl" Matt answered "It's amazing what she did with this please, I mean people rent it all the time but I've never seen anything like this."

"You're right about that, it looks completely different" Tyler said and looked around "Hey. Is Ric here yet?"

"He is but I saw him sneaking around with Elena's friend a few moments ago" Matt said with a gleeful expression

"Are you kidding? The amount of sex that man is getting is insane" Tyler said "I mean it's like he never had sex before and is finally discovering it, it's crazy"

Damon could hear the guys still talking in the background but he couldn't put attention to what they were saying, his total attention was on her, in the way she moved, the way she talked, in moments like this he couldn't believe she was here, that after all those years this wasn't a dream, she was a few feet away from him and she had been in his arms less than three hours ago.

How much he suffered during the time they were apart, always wondering about her, was she alright? Was she happy? Did she ever think of me or has she totally forgotten about me? Those were the questions that haunted his every dream. Making that phone call was the hardest thing he did in his life; alone in that jail cell, beaten down, cold and scared, she had been the only thing he clung to, the hope of seeing her again, of feeling her… and then they took that from him too. And he never felt more alone. John Gilbert broke him that night and a part of him remained shattered, until now.

"And you're completely ignoring us, so we're just going to take our seats" Tyler said while clapping Damon on the back.

"We'll be waiting for you Damon" Matt said with a chuckle and the blue eyed man only nodded. His gaze still fixated on the brunette girl near the window.

Damon saw a group of young people approach her and felt a twinge of pain in his chest when he saw how happy she was, she hugged them and laughed and for a moment it was like she was out of his reach again. She belonged here, with people wearing designer's clothes and summer houses in the Caribbean. She deserved to live in a big fancy house and spend winters in France, not to live among hay and grease and spend her life in a town with only one cinema.

He took a deep breath and was about to turn around and follow the boys when her gaze collided with his, he saw her eyes twinkling and her face break into a big grin. She said something to the people she was with and walked straight to him. Damon felt his heart starting to beat faster, like it did when he was still a teenager.

"You look so damn handsome" She approached him and threw her arms around his neck. From the corner of his eye he saw the people she was with a few minutes ago looking at them intently, he should have felt over conscious but he didn't care, not right now. She was with him and that was all that mattered.

"And you look beautiful" He told her while stroking her cheek softly "Like you're coming out of a fairytale"

She gave him a suggestive look and whispered into his ear "Well I loved the one you told me today…I can't wait for this princess to meet with her pirate again" He laughed at her words and pulled her into a hug. She snuggled into him, not caring that the wedding was five seconds from starting, that she was supposed to be coordinating everything, that her parents would be here any minute and that there were people all around looking at them. When she was with him the entire world shrunk to just the two of them. "Thanks for coming Damon"

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world" Elena pulled away and stared into his eyes. She couldn't believe that it had been only two weeks since she arrived back to Mystic Falls, the idea that a month ago Damon was just a memory was too much to bear, it made her think of things she didn't want, in the future, the mere thought of being away from him was enough to paralyze her with fear. "Hey, you okay?" He asked her, sensing something was wrong.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Wedding's get me emotional, that's all" She told him and smiled brightly "I got to go, would you save me a dance for later?"

"You know I will" He answered. She smiled and kissed him long and tender before hurrying away to set the final things. Damon watched her go with a smile on his lips and proceeded to take his seat.

The ceremony was beautiful, Jeremy's look when he saw Anna walking towards him in the aisle was an image that would stay in Elena's mind forever, everything came out as expected and more than one guest shed tears when Jeremy and Anna exchanged their vows. Elena herself watched with teary eyes when the preacher declared them husband and wife, she couldn't believe that her little brother was now a married man, one who deserved all the happiness in the world.

Elena had seen her parents around but she couldn't find the strength to go and talk to them, she didn't even know what she was going to tell them; so instead she busied herself by doing all kinds of things at the reception even though it was mostly all done, Jeremy and Anna loved their wedding cake and Elena was happy to see that Caroline was feeling a lot better and she even danced a few songs with Stefan. The truth was that the wedding was a hit, everyone was happy and having fun and her brother was ecstatic and that should make her feel better but the thing with her parents had her on edge. She knew it was probably paranoia but she felt like they were watching her every move and she guessed Damon probably felt the same way and that was making her frustrated and moody.

"All right boss I think you need a break" Sarah, her young assistant said to her when she caught her trying to re-arrange the cake table.

"What?" Elena looked at her with a confused expression

"The cake is fine, everything is fine. You've worked too much." The girl gave her a sympathetic look "Go dance, have fun. We have it from here"

"Uhmm" Elena looked around, not sure what to say

"Seriously, Elena, go. Nothing's gonna happen" She gave her a reassuring smile

"Okay, fine" Elena answered and started heading to the table where she last saw Damon, except he wasn't there. She moved her gaze all over the place and spotted him dancing with Bonnie near a window.

And that made her feel incredibly angry.

It was stupid, it probably had to do with all the stress she was suffering from… but he looked so happy and was having so much fun…with another girl. Elena knew it was dumb, Bonnie was her best friend and she had no reason to be jealous; she wasn't even the possessive type, well she hadn't been with her other boyfriends, but Damon just made her so crazy.

She turned around and headed towards the bar, she hadn't tasted a single drop of alcohol tonight and with the remains of her hangover she didn't quite feel like it but if she wanted to survive the night she would at least need a stiff drink.

"What are you doing here all alone?" A voice asked her from behind and shivers went through her body

"I'm surprised you noticed it" She spun around and looked straight into his blue eyes "With all the fun you've been having?"

"What?" He gave her a puzzled look "You don't mean that-"He gestured towards the dance floor where he had been dancing with Bonnie a few minutes ago "Are you jealous of your best friend?" He asked her in a mocking tone

"Do not laugh at me, Damon" She muttered

"You can't be serious" He laughed and she gave him a murderous glance "Seriously doll, you have nothing to be jealous about" He took her hand and started dragging her towards the dance floor

"Damon, I don't want to dance" She whined

"Yes, you do" He said right before Louis Armstrong's version of La vie en rose started to play in the background. He raised an eyebrow knowing Elena loved that song. She rolled her eyes at him and let him lead her to the dance floor.

"Well I missed this" Elena said with her eyes closed as they swayed to the music

"What?"

"Us fighting" She answered with a smile, leaning into him.

"Are we fighting? I don't think so. And anyway, we've been fighting a lot these two weeks, I don't think you missed it that much" He pressed his face into her hair and breathed in her scent

"Well yeah but it's our thing"

"Our thing?" He pulled away a little bit so he could stare into her eyes

"Yeah, that's what we do. We fight, we make up. And we dance. Always _"_

"Always" He told her, his eyes sparkling with emotion. Then he leaned down and pressed their lips together in a soft, love-filled kiss. When they broke apart Elena's eyes found her father's, they were sitting on the table right behind where they were dancing.

Elena saw the challenge in his eyes, the hard determination there and she was sure he could see the same in her eyes. Because after all she was her father's daughter and she would fight against anyone to keep the love of her life next to her.

"I love you" He whispered into her ear and she smiled. She broke eye contact with her father and rested her head on Damon's chest, her arms tightening around his form.

"I love you too" She answered, their bodies so intertwined together that is was hard to tell when one begun and the other ended. Together, like it should be.

Like it would be from now on.

 _ **I'm tripping on words**_

 _ **You got my head spinning**_

 _ **I don't know where to go from here**_

 _ **It's you and me and all of the people**_

 _ **And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

* * *

 **Review?**


	14. Loving can hurt

**I really hope you like the chapter.**

 **Thanks a lot for reading and thanks a lot to Lorena for editing this.**

 **Love,**

 **Sam**

 **If you haven't watched the new season please just stop reading here :)**

 **To answer Dove question I do not think Elena is dead, I think it's all part of the remains of Damon's hell, if you remember the first episode Damon wakes up three years forward next to Elena's coffin and tells Stefan that he asked not to be awoken until she's awake too. So, Elena can't be dead, and I belive that Damon lashing out and doing what he did (I can't even explain the emotional turmoil I went trough in last week episode) is going to be what drives him to lock himself in a coffin next to hers and sleep until she's awake.**

 **Now, please**

 **Enjoy :)**

* * *

 **PHOTOGRAPH**

 _So you can keep me  
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans  
Holdin' me closer 'til our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone_

 _Oh you can fit me  
Inside the necklace you got when you were 16  
Next to your heartbeat Where I should be  
Keep it deep within your soul_

 **-Ed Sheeran-**

 **.**

Damon closed the door of the car as he smiled toward his sister in law, who he had already forgiven, and waved goodbye as their car drifted away. The party was still in full swing but with Caroline being pregnant and so tired lately they decided to leave the party early. Damon watched them go with a smile on his face, he loved his brother dearly and Caroline was like a sister to him so nothing made him happier than seeing them together and happy.

As the car disappeared out of his sight he felt a sense of dread settling in his stomach, like something bad was waiting for him just around the corner, and in a sense it was "I really hope you know what you're doing kid" Damon heard the voice behind him and his blood turned cold in his veins. How much he hated that voice, once upon a time he had dreaded to hear it but not anymore, now it only made the anger grow inside of him.

"I'm not a kid anymore, John" He turned around and looked at the man who had ruined his life so many years ago. He was walking towards him with measured steps, a stony look on his face.

"You have no idea how mad I am Damon, you don't want to push my buttons" John put his hand in the pockets of his dress pants and looked straight at him "Seeing you dance with my daughter? Now that's a thing I hope to never see again"

"I agree with you, you should get the hell away from here if you don't want to witness that again. Because let me tell you something, I'm going to be dancing with Elena until I take my last breath"

"And here I thought you learned your lesson ten years ago" He laughed sardonically and walked a step closer to him. "You don't want to mess with me Damon"

"And you don't want to mess with me John" Damon's eyes turned to stone as he leaned closer "I'm not the same man I was ten years ago, you can't bully me into leaving Elena and if you want to fight then so be it, because I'm not giving up on her"

"I will end you, kid" John spat at him, the veins in his neck popping out and his hands balling into fists inside his pockets "My daughter is not going to end as the wife of a poor mechanic living in the Godforsaken town of Mystic Falls, I will not allow that."

"You have no saying in that John" Damon said dryly, trying to appear cool and collected when the truth was he wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of the man, but he would not do that, even after everything he still was Elena's father.

"The hell I'm not" He said through gritted teeth. "I've worked too much to get where I am today Damon, in this game that we're all playing I got the upper hand and you're crazy if you think I will let you ruin what I've worked for"

"You are insane" Damon whispered.

"You see April there" He gestured towards the barn "She comes from a great family, all the people gathered here does" John roamed his eyes over Damon with a disgusted expression on his face "Well almost everyone" Damon snorted and rolled his eyes at him "You do not belong in this world, you never did. Elena has to marry someone from a good family, a good name, something bigger than being the failed star in a little town. She will do as I say, you can be sure of it"

"You are crazy if you think I'm going to let that happen" Damon said, the anger rising inside of him with every word coming out of John's mouth. "Do you hear yourself right now? Do you realize it's your daughter you're talking about…She's not a toy solider John" His voice was thick with hurt, it killed him to realize how little John cared about his daughter and how much it would hurt Elena if she knew "You can't move her around like a pawn in your sick game"

"You do not tell me what to do with my family!"

"Family? You really see them as family or just as acquisitions?"

"Shut up Damon"

"You're a vile man John"

"I said shut up" John lunged at him and connected his fist with his jaw, the punch caught him in surprise so Damon stumbled backwards and cursed softly "I will end you Damon" John took another swing and hit him in the other side of his face "Aren't you gonna fight back you little punk"

Damon laughed softly as a thin strand of blood poured out of his mouth, he was not going to fight Elena's dad but that didn't mean he wasn't going to defend himself "You're a piece of crap John" The elder man went at him again but Damon dodged his punch.

"Come on! Fight back you coward" He tempted him but Damon only shook his head in disbelief. John truly had no idea how much self-control it was taking to not beat the shit out of him right now.

"I'm not gonna fight you John" Damon said with his chin raised and started walking towards the barn again but John caught him and delivered another blow, now into his right eye.

"What are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?" Elena shouted as she ran towards them, the hem of her champagne colored dress getting muddy and dirty as she ran. John ignored her and took another hit at Damon but he dodged it once again "Dad, stop it!" She screamed as frustrated tears poured out of her eyes "Stop it!"

"Elena, go away please" Damon looked at her pleadingly but she shook her head. He was insane if he thought she would leave him here.

"Dad, stop with this" She took hold of John's arms just as he was about to launch himself at Damon again, but he shrugged her off him so violently that he sent her on her butt to the floor.

"You son of a bitch" Damon gritted and finally launched himself at the elder man and hit him with such a force that he sent him off to the ground as well.

"Are you okay?" Damon kneeled next to Elena and wiped the tears under her eyes "Doll, are you okay?" She nodded silently as he helped her up

"What the fuck is going on here?" Alaric asked as he approached the scene with Meredith behind him

"Elena are you okay, I thought I heard your voice" The brunette asked apprehensively as she watched the scene around her.

"I'm fine" She answered, Meredith gave her a questioning look and walked towards her. Elena was trying to clean her dress but it was almost impossible, the piece was completely ruined.

As Meredith helped her compose herself she saw her father getting up from the ground and approaching Damon again "I will not let you take everything from me Damon" He squabbled.

"Let it go John" Damon muttered, his eyes completely fixed on Elena.

"I think we should all calm down, this is a wedding for God's sake and I doubt any of you want to make a scene" Alaric said while giving a stern look at John. He was standing between the two men, ready to act if things got physical again.

"I will not allow this Elena" John said through gritted teeth, paying attention to his daughter for the first time in the whole night.

"You do not tell me what to do"

"You're my daughter, the hell I do"

"Your daughter?!" Her hurt eyes looked at him "After what you did to me you still call me that? After what you did to Damon?" Recognition appeared on the elder man's face at her words, realizing that she now knew everything "You had no right to act like you did, to do those awful things! You ruined Damon's life… and mine too."

"Don't be melodramatic Elena"

"Melodramatic? Do you realize what you put him through? He was just a boy…" Furious tears streamed down her face and her voice was thick with hurt and sorrow.

Meredith and Alaric stared at the scene with confusion all over their faces, somehow they felt like they should leave the three of them to fix their problems but couldn't risk things getting violent again.

"And I will not let you harm us anymore, I won't" She raised her chin, a defiance sign that Damon knew so well "So tomorrow morning you and mom will take your things and leave this place, and if you ever come near me or Damon again I will end you"

"Are you threatening me Elena? Do you realize that I'm your father" John said while looking at her with hard eyes

"You lost the right to be called that a long time ago"

"You're crazy if you think I'll be spooked by your empty threats" He gave her a severe look and in that moment they couldn't look more alike if they wanted to, it was always one of the problems between them, they were too alike in some aspects.

"Empty? I'm sure Julian wouldn't think that…neither do Valerie or Beau" John's face turned as white as a ghost after hearing his daughter's words "You think you're the only one who knows about things? I've known for a while what you're capable of…I just never truly wanted to believe it"

"You cannot-"He stuttered and it was the first time that Damon saw fear in John's Gilbert eyes

"Don't come near me or Damon…or this town ever again, or help me God I will expose all of your dirty laundry" Her brown eyes sparkled and Damon swore that she looked like a warrior princess in that moment "And I won't care who you are, I will end you and everything you worked so hard to get"

"You wouldn't dare"

"Oh I will" She assured him and he must have seen something in her eyes that told him she wasn't bluffing because he started backing off.

"I hope you realize the mistake you're making Elena" He spat at her before giving her a disgusted look and heading back to the barn.

"So, can anybody explain to me what the hell that was?" Alaric asked which earned him a nasty glare from Meredith.

Elena broke down in tears then, all the anger and frustration and the pain she was holding broke through her and left her breathless and aching. Meredith made a move towards her but Damon beat her to it and enveloped her in his strong embrace. Elena sobbed into his chest as he stroked her hair and whispered sweet words against her ear.

"I wanna go home" She said, her voice muffled against his chest

"Of course" Damon answered and gave Meredith a look.

"I'll let Jeremy know you weren't feeing okay" She reassured her friend "And I'll make sure your team handles everything correctly"

"Thank you" Elena looked at her with gratitude and it broke Meredith's heart to see her like that.

Damon carried her then, like he did so many times in the past and headed towards his car while she continued crying against his chest. It was killing her, to realize the truth about her father, the man who was supposed to love her completely, but wanted to believe everything was going to be okay, she was going home. To the only place that ever made her feel safe, his arms.

* * *

Elena stood still, her eyes looking into the cream marbled floor as Damon undressed her slowly, she felt the soft touch of his fingers against her skin as he worked the dress out of her and wanted to weep at the gentleness he displayed but she had ran out of tears, at least for tonight.

Damon pressed a soft kiss against the nape of her neck as he tied her hair in a bun at the top of her hair, the sound of the tub filling echoed in the small bathroom of his apartment and he wanted nothing more than to fill that excruciating silence with her laughter, it teared him up to see her like this.

He poured a vanilla scented oil into the tub and she watched as bubbles started to appear in the water "You ready doll?" Damon whispered in her ear, she only nodded as he helped her into the tub.

Damon sat on the tub and moved her so she was cuddled between his legs, her back resting against his front "I just can't believe it" She murmured as she played absently with his hand that was resting underneath her breasts. "The man I admired during so long… now I know everything they said about him was true"

"Do you think he'll go? That he won't mess with us anymore"

"Yeah I think so, he doesn't want all of his dirty laundry in the open" She took a deep breath "He's a bully Damon, bullies are nothing once you face them"

"What was- that thing that you threatened with?" He had wanted to ask that question since they got in the car but decided against it, he didn't want to disturb her more than she already was but now that she was calmer he wanted to know.

"A long time ago- someone showed me something, it had to do with a fraud my dad had been making…I didn't believe it…I thought they just wanted to mess with him…but I kept everything, I never touched it again but it's stocked safely in my apartment" She took a deep breath and threw her head back, her eyes closed "Then there was a rumor…that he did something horrible to a girl-" Damon tightened his hold on her and she was thankful for it, he was keeping her whole "…Valerie, I knew her but never dared to ask anything-"

"You couldn't have known"

"But I should Damon, I lived with that man for eighteen years. I should have known what he was capable of"

"He's your father Elena; no one can blame you for wanting to ignore the bad things"

"And what he did to you…Oh god Damon, I still get goosebumps every time I think about it"

"Hey, that's the past now. Don't worry about it" He placed a kiss against her temple

"I was mad at you for so long…and I never even imagined everything that you went through…what your family went through and it was all because of me" She let out a broken sob but no more tears left her eyes

"No, Elena it wasn't because of you" He took hold of her chin and titled her head back so he could stare into her eyes.

"Of course it was, because you made the mistake of falling in love with me. I should have never crossed your way Damon" Her brown eyes were broken and terrified and it made his heart ache, to know she was going through so much pain.

"Don't…not even for a second think that Elena, you are the very best thing that happened to me" He pressed their foreheads together "I will never regret meeting you, and I would gladly live everything all over again just for the chance of one more moment with you, I would do things differently, I wouldn't let him break me"

"I love you so much" Elena whispered and kissed him softly, the water moving around them "You are the best part of me Damon…"

"And you are mine, and I'm sensing there's a but coming"

She moved so she was back at her original position, her face staring into the wall as he took a sponge and started lathering her body "What are we doing Damon?"

"Excuse me? We are taking a bath, I thought that was pretty obvious" He tried to joke but the weariness was present in his voice.

"I mean it, where do we think this is going to end?"

"I think I've made pretty clear where I want this to end Elena. The question here is where do you want it to end?"

"I have a life outside Mystic Falls Damon" She whispered

"And I am not a part of it" She felt him tensing behind her

"No, it's not like that" She took hold of his hand once again "The last ten years I was able to understand that my world is not complete if you're not in it" His body relaxed "But I don't know where we should go from here. I have a job in San Francisco, a life there and I can't just…"

"We'll find a way Lainey, we'll find a way to make it work" He assured her

"But how? I don't see how we'll make this work Damon"

"Don't worry about it now" She nodded and relaxed against him once more. She didn't want to let him know that her plane ticket was dated for tomorrow, that in her original plan she would be out of Mystic Falls by tomorrow.

They finished with their bath and toweled each other in complete silence, there was something magical about being able to be with someone and not say a word, to be comfortable with the silence surrounding you. That was something neither of them achieved with other people, something that belonged only to them.

"Loving you is the best thing that ever happened to me Damon, I want you to know that" The words felt somehow like a goodbye to him but decided not to dwell on them. Instead he kissed her, he kissed her like it was the first time and the last time, letting her know in his touch how much he loved her and how much he will love her in years to come.

She laced her arms behind his neck and pressed closer to him, their bodies intertwined as they moved towards the bed, the only sound in the room was their kissed and their skin rubbing against each other. Outside the night had grown cold and the wind rustled the threes but inside the apartment, in that small bedroom was nothing more than warmness. Two people connecting in the most primal of ways, in the only way they could truly demonstrated their feelings, because every kiss, every touch was charged with the deep love they had for each other.

The future didn't matter, the past either. Not even the hurt and the fear were present in that moment because they didn't let it happen, they were encased in a bubble of love and passion, just the two of them against the world.

It was only afterwards, when he lay sleeping next to her, his expression so innocent when he was dreaming, that she let the fear in. The fear of the future, of a broken heart, the fear of mistakes. Elena dressed slowly, careful to be quiet, she would never gather the strength to leave if she heard his voice once again.

"This isn't goodbye Damon" She whispered as she stared at him from the door of the door, a silent tear streaming down her cheek "I promise you this isn't goodbye" She said one last time before closing the door behind her and finding her way in the cold of the night.

.

 _When I'm away  
I will remember how you kissed me  
Under the lamppost  
Back on 6th street  
Hearing you whisper through the phone,  
"Wait for me to come home."_


	15. Home is home

Hey guys!

Hope you're doing okay, thank so much for reading my story, it means the world to me that you're still with me after all this time. I also want to thank Lorena for being an amazing beta and always doing an amazing job with my chapters.

I know this chapter is kind of short but It ended up being exactly like I wanted it, I also want to let you know that the next chapter will be the last one, I really hope you've been enjoying the story and to thank you for taking the journey with me.

Please leave me a review to know what you think of the chapter,

Oh and I used a Priness Bride quote that I love very much at the end just because it seemed to go perfect with the situation.

Enough rambling

Love,

Sam

* * *

" **You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you. And one day, the sun will come out you might not even notice straight away-it'll be that faint. And then you'll catch yourself thinking about something or someone. Someone who's only yours. And you'll realize that this is where your life is."**

 **Brooklyn (2015)**

 **.**

 _The five of them looked at each other without saying a word, the music was blaring from the other side of the door and the sound of voices was loud._

" _Ugh I cannot believe we are sitting here doing nothing" Caroline was the first to talk, she was becoming restless and couldn't stand another minute locked in the office "What's the point of letting us in if we were supposed to stay here"_

" _I think we should be grateful that Hope let us in, in the first place" Elena told her friend "It's the first time she's actually let us" Caroline gave her a look, knowing that Elena had already been in that office before._

" _I think we should go out" Tyler said_

" _I second that" The blonde girl added_

" _No, Caroline. My mom said we should stay in the office so we stay in the office" Stefan told his girlfriend_

" _Yeah I don't want to get into any trouble" Matt said_

" _Oh come on, what's the worst that can happen to us out there" Caroline tried to convince her friends_

" _Yeah, everyone here knows who we are so no one is going to mess with us and no one is going to serve us" Tyler tried to rationalize_

" _I don't know" Matt said, still unsure of breaking the rules_

" _We should stay here, I really don't want to have problems with my mom"_

" _Ugh" Caroline huffed and crossed her arms while glaring at Stefan._

 _The five of them stayed in silence once again with Caroline and Tyler sending the rest annoyed glances every five seconds until the door opened and Damon walked in "What are you all doing here?" He asked while looking around the five sitting on the floor_

" _Your mom let us in" Elena answered without looking into his eyes. She had been avoiding him since the kiss they shared in this very office. Couldn't bear the thought of him regretting it._

" _And stay in here?" Damon asked_

" _Exactly!" Tyler said while throwing his hands in the air_

" _Come on" Damon said opening the door wider "Let's have some fun"_

" _Damon, I don't think that's a good idea" Stefan told his brother_

" _Stefan this might be the safest place for you, everyone here knows who you guys are and no one is going to serve you" He rolled his eyes_

" _You don't need to tell me twice" Tyler said while getting up and abandoning the office_

" _Me neither" Caroline exclaimed and followed her friend_

" _Oh what the hell" Matt followed the rest_

" _You're going to take responsibility for this, Damon" Stefan said with a frown while crossing his arms on his chest and staring daggers at Damon_

" _Yeah yeah, I'll say it was my fault" Damon patted his brother on the back as he exited the office "Come on, Gilbert" He offered her his hand and she took both of them to help her get up_

" _You'll get me into trouble, Damon" She said_

" _But at least it will be worth it" He winked at her and took her straight into the jukebox._

 _People were scattered everywhere, dancing, drinking, and having fun. Hope Salvatore's bar was the most popular in town and even though her mother said it was a low life place Elena couldn't disagree more, everyone here were people they grew up knowing, it was like a big family that got together at nights to have fun._

 _Damon patted his pocket and took out a pair of coins "You'll have to dance with me Lainey" He told her before inserting them and pushing the buttons so the song could start playing. Elena beamed, she had been in love with him since the first moment they met so she soaked in every little attention Damon gave her._

 _ **I went to see her dad for a sit down man to man  
Wasn't any secret, I'd be asking for her hand **_

" _I love this song"_

" _I know" He told her with a smile and took her hand in his own, leading her to the dance floor._

 _Her arms went instantly around his neck and his moved to her waist "I've never slow danced with anybody" She confessed to him_

" _I know that too" He gave her a look "Do you forget that I'm always keeping tabs on you Lainey?" He whispered into her ear and she closed her eyes at the feeling of having him so near her._

 _ **In her eyes I'm prince charming but to him I'm just some fellow  
Riding in and stealing Cinderella **_

" _My mom says you're a bad influence" Elena half whispered as they swayed to the sound of the music_

" _And what do you think?" He asked her_

" _That you just broke me out of the office where your mom said we should stay" Elena felt him smiling against her hair and then moved her head so she could stare back into his eyes_

" _Then I guess she must be right" He told her and she could see the mirth shining in his eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds until she had the strength to do what she had wanted to do since a long time ago._

" _Now….are you gonna kiss me or not?" She asked him in a hopeful voice_

 _Damon laughed slightly and stroked her cheek "Remember you asked for it, Lainey" He placed their foreheads together, their lips inches apart from each other "If I kiss you again, you'll be mine forever" He said in a serious voice._

" _Then what are you waiting for" She whispered and he pressed their lips together._

Elena let out a breath as she forced the memory out of her mind, that kiss changed so many things. She had been fifteen and they had shared their first kiss two days ago, she remembers being so scared of him changing his mind. He was the first boy she had ever kissed… Their story had started a long time before that but in a way that was the kiss that sealed their faith.

She rested her head against the glass of the window as she tightened the jacket around her body, it wasn't cold but somehow she couldn't find the way to keep herself warm. The monotone voice in the speaker announced a flight to New York as she glanced around the airport, it was still a long way to go until they announced her flight.

A single tear escaped from her eyes as she remembered how peaceful he looked when she left him not even two hours ago. After leaving the apartment she headed to the house and packed her belongings in complete silence, the house was empty since none of her friends were back from the wedding yet so she snuck out in the middle of the night, like a thief. Then she turned off her cellphone and took a cab to the airport.

How was it possible that things had changed so much in a matter of days? Two weeks ago she had arrived in her hometown with the only purpose of planning her brother's wedding, wanting to get away from the place as soon as possible and now as she prepared to leave she felt like her heart was being ripped apart. The only thing that remained the same was that she arrived full of sadness and fear and that was exactly how she was leaving.

Why was it that loving someone was so scary? She thought to herself as she took an elastic band that was wrapped around her wrist and put her hair up in a bun. She vaguely remembered a scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's where Holly mentions the mean reads _'It's like suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of'_ she had said…she felt like that right now, full of dread and without an idea why. When she was younger she never felt fear of loving Damon, she gave herself to him completely and without reserve but now, ten years afterwards, it paralyzed her with fear the knowledge that he was able to break her heart if he wanted to in a matter of minutes. Except he wouldn't… Damon would never break her heart.

She let out a shaky breath and watched as a couple sat in front of her, they were around their sixties probably, they seemed very tired and Elena looked on with tenderness at how the man took the woman's legs and placed them on his lap, the old lady gave him a smile full of love and Elena felt her heart squeezing in her chest.

She didn't have a life in San Francisco, she had a house and a job, and yes she had her friends but somehow she knew that it didn't matter where she was, they would always be there for her. But no, she didn't have a life there. Then, what was she going back for? To lonely nights thinking about him?

Elena shook her head as more silent tears started to slip down her cheeks, she was being a coward, she was so afraid of being hurt, of taking a leap of faith so she was making the biggest mistake of her life. She was going to hurt the only person in the world who had given up everything for her.

The airport was closing up on her, the air started to leave her when she realized the magnitude of her mistake, she looked around trying to find something to help her when her eyes zoomed in on a young girl, not more than twenty who was running with the biggest smile on her face, her blonde hair was blowing as she ran…she was running to something, someone. Elena felt her heart squeezing when she saw her reach a young boy and kiss him with all of her strength.

' _I don't want to own anything until I find a place where me and things go together'_ Holly had said and Elena knew exactly where that place was for her, his arms. He was the place that made her feel safe and she was stupid for thinking she could be happy anywhere else.

Elena stood up, took a hold of her suitcase and with her heart beating a mile a minute she started walking towards the entrance…and then she saw him. His disheveled hair and beautiful eyes, his dark blue tee shirt and dark jeans, for a minute she thought it was all a dream, until he smiled at her and she realized that this was her reality, the reality she was about to abandon.

She stood frozen on her spot as she watched him move towards her "Where do you think you're going Miss Gilbert?" He asked her once he was close enough for her to hear him.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I think I know you better than what you think" He answered with a shrug

"I'm so stupid" She sobbed and he drew her into the circle of his arms

"What did you think you were doing?" He asked with tenderness as he cleaned the tears under her eyes

"I don't know, I got scared and I thought this was the right thing but Damon-"He silenced her by placing a finger to her lips

"I get it Elena, I get scared sometimes too"

"No, it's not true" She told him "You gave up everything for me Damon… you've been so sure of everything since the beginning and I've been making stupid excuses because you scared me, what you make me feel scares the shit out of me but-" She placed a hand onto his chest, right where his heart was beating "But I realize now that you are my home, I don't care if I have to give up everything for you because you are all I need to be happy"

"Elena-"

She cut him off "I knew that ten years ago and I know that now" She looked into his blue eyes and saw all the love he had for her there "I am so sorry for leaving tonight, it was the stupidest thing I've done but I'm sure now… I don't need San Francisco, I don't need my old life"

"Elena, I can't ask you to give up your life for me"

"What?" She looked at him confused. He didn't mean to leave her, did he?

"You worked hard for what you got and you deserve to keep it"

"Damon-"

"Hush" He placed a finger on her lips again "I'm going with you"

"What?" Elena shrieked, earning the attention of a few people around them "You can't be serious Damon, what about Stefan and your shop…and the bar"

"Stefan will understand" He took her chin between his fingers "And the rest…it's just stuff. You're the real thing"

"I cannot-"Elena shook her head, not finding words to express everything that she was feeling at the moment.

"Time couldn't separate us, your parents either… we'll survive Elena, against everything"

"Damon, you-"Elena stared at him in amazement

"I hope there's a place for a guy with a mechanical engineering degree in San Francisco" He joked "And if not I can stay in the house and take care of the kids"

Elena let out a laugh of pure delight and bunched his shirt in her hands, bringing him closer to her "You are something else Salvatore"

"Now… are you going to kiss me or not?" He asked playfully and she watched him with eyes filled with love as he lowered his head and took her lips in the gentlest of kisses.

They say that airports see more sincere kisses than weddings halls; and as people around them hurried to their loved ones in the busy airport, Elena and Damon kissed like it was the first time…and in a way it was. The first kiss of the new life they were beginning.

Since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure.

This one left them all behind.


	16. Twin Flames

**Helloooo!**

 **Well guys the end is finally here, I want to thank everyone who's been with me through this journey, reading your reviews and seeing that your add the story to your favorites and put it on your alerts is definitely one of the best things about doing this, you guys have no idea how much it means to me to know you're liking my story. And this one in particular is very special to me because it called me in a moment where I had given up completely to fanfiction and has helped me go through the heartbreaking separation of Delena (I know It's only a fictional couple but it feels too damn personal to me) So thank you so much for sticking with me. And I also want to thank Lorena for being the best beta ever! And always being there for me when I need her help.**

 **So, here it is. I really hope you enjoy it!**

 **Oh…and btw I'm working on a new project, apparently my muse wasn't going to leave me alone, I hope you can see it In here in a few days, stay tuned and please give it a shot.**

 **Now**

 **THE END**

* * *

 **HUNGER**

One look and I can't catch my breath  
Two souls into one flesh  
When you're not next to me  
I'm incomplete

These flames tonight  
Look into my eyes and say you want me, too  
Like I want you

 **-Ross Copperman-**

 **.**

Elena scrunched her eyes up as a ray of sunshine light hit her face. She moaned and buried her head on the soft cream pillows and stretched her arm to pat the place next to her. The other side of the bed was already cold but the smell of the person who had laid there still lingered; she smiled as she buried her nose deeper and inhaled the scent.

She heard noises coming from outside the window and forced herself to open her eyes and look into the small vintage clock resting on the night stand. It marked 11:55 AM, which meant she overslept and everyone should be downstairs already.

With a resigned sigh she stretched her arms above her head and willed herself to leave the comfort the bed was providing her. Then she proceeded to the bathroom where she took a fast shower and dressed up into a navy blue summer dress.

As she went down the stairs she started to hear all of the chaos around her and a smile appeared on her face, they were the craziest people she had ever met but she wouldn't change her family for anything in the world. "The celebration is being held at your house…yet you're the last one to wake up?" Her blonde friend teased once Elena reached the bottom of the stairs

"Perks of being the wife of the man of the house" Tyler said while he and Matt moved a white large table towards the backyard "He didn't want to wake her up"

"Oh how sweet," Meredith rolled her eyes while carrying a bowl to the kitchen.

Elena stuck her tongue out to the brunette girl and then turned to Caroline "Where's my husband?" Caroline moved her head, signaling to the back door with a smile and then followed Meredith into the kitchen.

Elena walked towards the big white French doors leading into the backyard and stepped into the hot summer morning, she saw the tables lined up and Jeremy and Anna placing the chairs while Alaric and Kol were trying to turn on the grill. Stefan was under an apple tree playing with his five year old boy and his two year old daughter. It was a heart melting sight.

She started moving towards the barn on the far end of the property where she was sure her husband was. After so many years she still knew Damon like the back of her hand. It was amazing to think of the long road they had traveled until this moment. Since that morning where they kissed in the airport everything went up for them. At the end, Elena couldn't bear the thought of Damon leaving his life in Mystic Falls and convinced him to stay instead of going to San Francisco, truth be told, the town was home for her too and she wanted to start building her family there. She got the ownership of her grandparent's house after a long legal battle with her parents where she learned that in her will her grandparents had left the house to her and she never knew it. And they settled in, in the quiet town that saw their love grow.

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way!" Damon read in a gravelly voice as the little girl in his arms laughed out loud.

Elena stood with her hip pressed onto the door of the barn and watched them with amazement. It never ceased to surprise her how much she adored to see Damon with their daughter, the man was born to be someone's father and she couldn't help but to love him more everyday when she realized how much he loved their daughter.

"Mommy's here" The little girl squealed and squirmed to get out of her father's arms "Mommy" She ran to Elena as fast as her little legs carried her, her hazelnut curls blowing in the wind as she rushed to the waiting arms of her mother

"Good morning my sunshine" Elena cooed as she raised her into her arms and kissed her head. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Elena's neck while looking at her with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

"Daddy twas tellin story" She said as she looked back at her father and gave him the biggest of smiles.

"So I heard, and what a good story teller he is" Elena said as Damon approached them and kissed his wife's cheek.

"Good morning, beautiful" He whispered into her ear

"Thanks for letting me sleep in" She told him

"You needed it" Damon answered, arching an eyebrow suggestively and her cheeks flushed when she remembered what had kept her up so late last night.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to their three year old daughter "You wanna help your auntie Caroline with the cake, Sky?" Elena asked and smiled when the girl nodded enthusiastically "Then let's go, apparently we are the only ones who aren't helping" She told her husband, who only threw his head back and laughed. He moved towards her and placed his arm around her waist as the three of them walked back towards the gathering.

They had developed a tradition over the last few years. No matter what they were doing or in what part of the world they were, all of them always reunited for one week in the summer, they had barbecues, camp nights, brunches and days filled with laughter and love.

It was easier for the ones who remained close like Alaric and Meredith, who abandoned her position at the San Francisco orchestra and decided to teach music in the University Alaric worked. Or Caroline and Stefan and Matt and Rebekah who still and will forever live in Mystic Falls.

And even the ones who were away like Kol, who now lived in New York and had started to see a new girl recently, or Bonnie who still lived in San Francisco and got married last year to a wonderful man, and Jeremy and Anna who lived in Seattle, and Tyler who was currently travelling around the world; they always managed to get together for at least one week every year.

Damon went to the grill to help Kol and Stefan cook the meat and Elena went to the kitchen where Caroline and Meredith were and placed Sky on a stool, where Caroline gave her some cake batter so she could mix.

"I can't wait for this one to come out" Meredith said while looking at Sky and patting her six month pregnant belly

"Trust me, when you're in the operating room you're going to think differently" Caroline said with a shake of her head while she frosted a couple of cupcakes she made especially for the kids.

"But in the end it's so worth it" Elena answered while kissing the soft hair of her daughter.

She still remembered it as if it was yesterday. The day Skylar was born, the look in Damon's eyes when he saw her and the way he leaned down and thanked her for giving him the best gift in the world. It was something she would never forget. It still seemed unbelievable to her sometimes, to think of how far they've come after everything they went through.

"What is worth it?" Bonnie asked as she showed up in the kitchen with a couple of bags of chips "You wouldn't believe how hard it was for us to find these damn chips, it's like suddenly everyone decided to go and shop for it" She said while placing the things on the counter and kissing Sky on the cheek, the girl only smiled and showed her what she was mixing in the bowl.

"SKYLAAAAAAAR!" A child's voice echoed in the room and they all turned around to watch the five year old little boy entering the kitchen "Look what daddy and I found" The little girl abandoned the bowl and extended her arms to Bonnie so she could help her lower herself from the stool. "And there's a bunch more" The little boy said while showing her a couple of ladybugs who were walking on his tiny hand.

"I want one" Skylar shrieked

"Come, my daddy will give us more" He offered while clutching his cousin's hand and heading towards the door.

"No running, Jason!" Caroline yelled at her older child but she doubted he had heard her. That boy had so much of her personality, sometimes she lamented that he wasn't more like Stefan, hopefully Nora would be less like her and more like her father.

Elena watched through the window with amusement at the children trying to find more ladybugs in the grass with Stefan who always turned into a big kid when he was around the children, when she saw scenes like this she realized how right it had been to stay here, this was the place where they belonged.

"I swear they're going to give me a heart attack one of these days" Caroline said while shaking her head and continuing with her task

"Relax, they're kids, it's what they do" Bonnie stated with a chuckle

"I hope mine is a lot calmer" Meredith commented

"Yeah, good look with that" Caroline and Elena both said at the same time and then looked at each other and laughed. Elena was so glad that she was able to mend things with Caroline, her life wouldn't be the same without the blonde girl and it made her so happy that their children were so close in age because that meant they would grow up together just like she and Caroline did.

Damon walked into the kitchen and approached his wife "Babe, April just called, she says she will be here at seven pm"

"Yay!" Caroline and Elena both exclaimed "This means dancing night" The blonde girl said while Damon chuckled.

"Gee, you guys sound so eager to get rid of your children" Bonnie joked

"Oh that's not true, but when you have children, Bonnie Bennet, you will understand how important it is to have just one night to yourself" Caroline explained while licking batter out of a spoon.

"You evil moms" Damon joked while wrapping his arms around his wife and placing a kiss below her ear "But I agree with Caroline" He whispered into her ear and Elena giggled

"Oh come on, we're all still here" Meredith whined while looking at Damon and Elena

"Oh, like you never saw a couple giving love to each other" Damon told her with glee in his expression "Do I have to remind you that Alaric and you are like cats in the heat when you're together" Meredith blushed and everyone laughed while Damon buried his face into his wife's neck.

"I think the children talk got you in the mood, Damon" Caroline joked before cracking up with Bonnie.

"Well I know for a fact that Sky wants a little brother" Damon said while kissing Elena's hair and she couldn't help but laugh "Oh and Nora and Jason too, they were this close…" Damon continued while showing Caroline his index and thumb together "… of convincing Stefan. I think he might be on their side now"

"Yeah right, no way, I got my hands full with these two" Caroline said while shaking her head but a small smile was tugging at her lips. "Now do something helpful and take the dip and the chips to the table" Caroline handed Damon a tray.

"Yes, mam" He saluted her like a soldier before picking up the tray and doing as she said while she rolled her eyes at her brother in law

"And then come back for the cupcakes" She yelled while he walked through the door and heard him laughing under his breath.

They all had an amazing time together; sitting around the large table in Damon and Elena's backyard was like time never passed at all. They laughed and reminisced and watched the children play with nostalgia in their eyes, thinking of a time when they were the ones running around apple trees.

Tyler told them stories about his recent trip to Thailand; Matt and Rebekah announced they were having a baby; Kol showed them a picture of his new girlfriend and told them he thought this was finally the one. Alaric confessed to them that he was scared as hell of being a father. And they all shared little pieces of their lives. How much they had changed over the years and yet somehow when they all got together they were still the same.

Elena rested her head on her husband's shoulder and looked at the faces of the people around her. People often say that you can't have it all, the dream job, the good friends, good family and the perfect husband… and in a way they're right. But sometimes what you think is important actually isn't and what you think will make you happy actually doesn't. Because even though she had to give up a lot of things in her life to reach this moment she wouldn't want it any other way, because here in this place with the people she loved the most in the world next to her she truly had it all.

* * *

After leaving the children with April, the nanny, they all headed towards the Salvatore Bar, which was now managed by Elena. Stefan had decided to sell his part of the place to Damon and when he decided to open a third auto repair shop Elena was left with the complete ownership and management of the bar, something that she loved to do and hoped she could be as good as Damon's mom had been. She also helped Tyler's mom with town events every time she could.

They all spent hours laughing and dancing to the beat of the songs coming out of the speakers and they even did a few rounds of Karaoke, where Matt proclaimed himself champion. Meredith and Ric were the first in leaving since Meredith was heavily pregnant and already feeling tired. After them Jeremy and Anna took off, but not before promising to meet with Damon and Elena the next morning for breakfast, a plan which everyone else quickly invited themselves to.

After a few more minutes Damon watched how Elena was getting tipsier with each passing minute so he decided to call it a night, he knew how much she hated her hangover mornings these days, especially when their bundle of energy did her best to wake them up every morning at eight o'clock sharp. They said their goodbyes with promises of a substantial breakfast next morning and headed home.

On the way home Damon couldn't help but laugh at all the non-senses Elena was saying, she was indeed the most adorable drunk he had ever seen. It made him remember that night five years ago when he drove her back to her hotel, how much he had wanted to kiss her in that moment and how many nights afterwards she was finally his to kiss and to cherish for the rest of their lives. He never stopped being grateful for the second chance life gave them, there was a dark period in his life where he actually thought he could never reach happiness and now with her sitting next to him he was the happiest man on the face of the earth.

Damon carried Elena all the way to their bedroom and placed her on their bed before he entered their bathroom to change; he discarded himself of his shirt and was almost finishing brushing his teeth when he heard the low hum of a song.

 _He was working through college  
On my grandpa's farm_

"Elena?" He rinsed his mouth and exited the bathroom to find her swaying to the sound of the music. She probably was more drunk than he initially thought and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips while looking at her, dancing alone with her white dress and the only light being the moon illuminating the room through the window.

 _On the banks of the river on a well-beaten path  
It's funny how those memories they last_

He walked towards her and took her in his arms, she threw her head back and rested it against his shoulder as they both swayed to the music now. He dropped his head and breathed in her scent, her strawberry shampoo and sweet perfume mixed with the faint smell of sweat and alcohol, he never felt more intoxicated in his life. Sometimes he couldn't believe how much he loved this woman and how crazy she made him.

Elena hummed as they continued moving to the music, his arm was around her waist and she held him to her tightly, looking down briefly and smiling at the words that were tattooed on his forearm, ' _Because you're mine I walk the line',_ the same ones tattooed around her ankle.

 _My first taste of love, oh bittersweet  
The green on the vine  
Like strawberry wine_

Damon placed a soft kiss under her ear before spinning her around so he could now stare into her eyes, Elena smiled at him before placing a soft kiss onto his second tattoo, their daughter's handprint on his chest, right where his heart was beating "Beautiful" She murmured against his skin while he closed his eyes at the feeling of her lips on him.

 _But year after year I come back to this place  
Just to remember the taste_

He lifted her face from his chest with a finger and smiled wickedly at her before dipping her, Elena let out a laugh of pure delight and held onto him tightly once he pulled her up "We'll never stop dancing right?"

"Never, it's what we do. Remember?" He said with a smile and touched his nose with hers quickly.

"I love you" She said before snuggling into his chest

"I love you too, you have my heart Lainey, it will always be yours" His words were charged with emotion and Elena felt a surge of love so strong that she couldn't help but lift her head and stare into his beautiful blue eyes.

"And I will always be yours" She whispered to him before kissing him softly. His arms tightening around her small frame as the music faded away.

They continued embracing each other for a long time, their silhouettes visible through the blinds while outside the starry summer night passed and the apple trees surrounding the house rustled in the wind, like they did so many nights before and many nights afterwards.

 _Strawberry wine and seventeen  
The hot July moon saw everything_

 **THE END**


End file.
